🧥 Torn or worn out 🎶 Lively rhythm

raggy

7.8

Has a lively, bouncy rhythm that makes you want to dance

adjective
/ˈræɡi/

: ragtime

He couldn't help but move to the raggy rhythm of the lively song.

Examples

That raggy beat is in your feet

There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
That raggy beat gets in your feet

There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
The musicians played a raggy tune that made everyone want to dance.
At the party, the raggy music filled the room with energy and joy.

How Syncopated

raggy

7.8

offbeat

Specialized

1 7.4

Surface Forms

raggy positive

Morphology

raggy = rag (semi-transparent) = rag + y

Formally built from 'rag' + '-y' so the structure is clear, but understanding depends on knowing 'rag' in the musical sense (which many learners may not).

Etymology

Raggy comes from the musical phrase ragtime, where rag suggested a 'ragged' or 'off-beat' rhythm that felt lively and playful. So when music is described as raggy, it means it has that bouncy, uneven beat that makes you want to move.