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scraggly

adjective

scrag·​gly ˈskra-g(ə-)lē How to pronounce scraggly (audio)
Synonyms of scragglynext
: irregular in form or growth
scraggly hills
a scraggly beard
also : unkempt

Examples of scraggly in a Sentence

a scraggly little tree
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For hikers and residents, the steel lattice towers rising from the horizon carrying high-voltage transmission lines up and over the mountains are as recognizable as the bucolic dirt paths, scraggly chapparal, and, at slightly higher elevations, old oaks. Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026 The marker was tucked among scraggly mountain mahogany. Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 7 Jan. 2026 Four inches of scraggly strands had to go. Shannon Bauer, InStyle, 3 Jan. 2026 Wearing a colorful polka-dot shirt, a red tie, and voluminous rainbow pants, with her hair cut in a scraggly mullet, Sherman, who is thirty-two, delivered a performance that was almost entirely given over to an abrasive discussion of the abjectness of the human body—mostly her own. Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for scraggly

Word History

Etymology

alteration of scraggling, perhaps irregular from scraggy entry 2

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scraggly was in 1849

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scraggly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scraggly. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

scraggly

adjective
scrag·​gly ˈskrag-(ə-)lē How to pronounce scraggly (audio)
scragglier; scraggliest
: of rough or uneven outline : ragged, unkempt
a scraggly beard
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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