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raggedness

raggedness

5.7
A state where clothes or things are torn and very worn
  • noun
  • /ˈræɡɪdnəs/
translation icon : desgaste
  • Despite the raggedness of her outfit, she carried herself with confidence.

Examples

  • The cellar was full of dangerous-looking people, chiefly young men in various conditions of raggedness.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The raggedness of his clothes made him look like he was struggling to make ends meet.

  • The old tent was characterized by its raggedness, with frayed edges and torn fabric.

Synonyms

shabbiness
vsraggedness
1 6.1

A state of looking old, worn, or dirty

focuses on clothes torn and full of holes
manginess
vsraggedness
8.2

A shabby, dirty look from old, worn clothes

emphasizes clothes torn or falling apart rather than merely worn
sleaziness
vsraggedness
7.7

Being dirty and shabby in appearance because of old or untidy clothes

focuses on clothes being torn rather than only untidy

Antonyms

7 1.0

Being tidy and having things in order

3.6

A clean, stylish way of dressing

How Ragged

tatter
  • Archaic
14 5.6
raggedness
5.7
shabbiness
1 6.1
to wear
470 3.3
neatness
7 1.0

Surface Forms

raggedness singular
raggednesses plural

Morphology

raggedness = ragged (transparent) = rag + ed + ness

The noun is the state of being 'ragged' (torn or shabby); this is a direct and standard derivation from the adjective.

Etymology

Raggedness comes from the simple word rag ('a torn piece of cloth') and the ending -ness ('state'). Because people wearing rags looked shabby and worn, raggedness also means the state of being torn, shabby, or dressed in rags.