Standard Lemma guide

ragtag

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R AE1 G T AE2 G Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He liked to wear an old ragtag coat that was so threadbare that he'd get sunburned through it.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bedraggled, decrepit, motheaten, tattered

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Very diverse; having irregular and dissimilar components.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The guerrillas were a ragtag band of local thugs, former soldiers, displaced farmers, and political idealists.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: motley, jumbled, patchwork, uneven

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A shabby, unkempt person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: ragbag

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ragbag

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

disparaging terms for the common people

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rabble, riffraff, ragtag and bobtail

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: folk, folks, common people

Narrower terms: trash, scum

History

Etymology

From earlier tag-rag and tag and rag, from rag + tag.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: раздърпан (razdǎrpan) — unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair
  • Czech: chatrný — unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair
  • Czech: ubohý — unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair
  • Dutch: versleten — unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair
  • Russian: ветхий (vetxij) — unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair
  • Dutch: allegaartje — very diverse; having irregular and dissimilar components
  • Russian: разношёрстный (raznošórstnyj) — very diverse; having irregular and dissimilar components
  • Swedish: brokig — very diverse; having irregular and dissimilar components