Standard Lemma guide

shaggy

adj · 5 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.

  • /ˈʃæɡi/
  • /ˈʃeɪ̯ɡi/ Upper Midwestern US, Northwestern US, Canada
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æɡi
  • CMU ARPABET: SH AE1 G IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur or wool.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a shaggy dog

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Having a surface like shaggy hair; with a rough nap.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Confused, muddled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

having a very rough nap or covered with hanging shags

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • junipers with shagged trunks
  • shaggy rugs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shagged

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

used of hair; thick and poorly groomed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • bushy locks
  • a shaggy beard

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bushy, shaggy-haired, shaggy-coated

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Old English sċeacga Middle English *schagge English shag Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English shaggy From shag + -y.

Across languages

Translations

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: kalesh — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Arabic: أَشْعَث (ʔašʕaṯ) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Bulgarian: чорлав (čorlav) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Bulgarian: рунтав (runtav) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Czech: huňatý — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Czech: chundelatý — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Czech: střapatý — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Esperanto: hirta — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Finnish: takkuinen — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Finnish: pörröinen — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • French: hirsute — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Galician: guedelludo — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • German: zottelig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • German: zottig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • German: zottelhaarig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • German: struppig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • German: strubbelig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • German: zerzaust — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Ancient Greek: δασύς (dasús) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Ancient Greek: λάσιος (lásios) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Ancient Greek: βλοσυρός (blosurós) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Hungarian: kócos — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Hungarian: bozontos — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Irish: mosach — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Irish: suasánach — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Irish: gliobach — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: ispido — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: irsuto — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: villoso — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: peloso — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: cappelluto — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: arruffato — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: scapigliato — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Italian: spettinato — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Kazakh: сабалақ (sabalaq) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Kazakh: барақ (baraq) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Latin: hispidus — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Latin: villōsus — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Macedonian: чо́рлав (čórlav) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Macedonian: ру́нтав (rúntav) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Macedonian: бу́шав (búšav) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Māori: tuahuru — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Māori: pūhutihuti — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Plautdietsch: scheibich — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Polish: kudłaty — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Polish: kosmaty — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Polish: rozczochrany — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Polish: potargany — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Portuguese: felpudo — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Portuguese: desgrenhado — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Russian: косма́тый (kosmátyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Russian: мохна́тый (moxnátyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Russian: лохма́тый (loxmátyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Russian: патла́тый (patlátyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Scottish Gaelic: giobach — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Scottish Gaelic: molach — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Serbo-Croatian: рундав — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Serbo-Croatian: rundav — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Spanish: greñudo — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Spanish: desgreñado — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Spanish: despeinado — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Spanish: desmelenado — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Spanish: chascón — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Swedish: raggig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Swedish: lurvig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Swedish: rufsig — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Ukrainian: кудлатий (kudlatyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Ukrainian: кошлатий (košlatyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Ukrainian: волохатий (voloxatyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Ukrainian: патлатий (patlatyj) — with long, thick, and uncombed hair, fur, or wool
  • Bulgarian: мъхнат (mǎhnat) — with a surface like shaggy hair; rough nap
  • Finnish: karkea — with a surface like shaggy hair; rough nap
  • Italian: ruvido — with a surface like shaggy hair; rough nap
  • Macedonian: ро́шав (róšav) — with a surface like shaggy hair; rough nap
  • Scottish Gaelic: giobach — with a surface like shaggy hair; rough nap
Real reading context

shaggy in complete knowledge articles