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Breaking Down Ragtag
Tag and rag was a relatively common expression in the 16th and 17th centuries, and it was often used pejoratively to refer to members of the lower classes of society. By the 18th century, the phrase had been expanded to ragtag and bobtail. That expression could mean either "the lower classes" or "the entire lot of something" (as opposed to just the more desirable parts—the entire unit of an army, for example, not just its more capable soldiers). Something described as ragtag and bobtail, then, was usually common and unspectacular. Ragtag and bobtail was eventually shortened to ragtag, the adjective we know today, which can describe an odd mixture that is often hastily assembled or second-rate.
Examples of ragtag in a Sentence
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 Aug. 2025
As the leader of a ragtag group of hombres out to defend a helpless community from a violent sociopath (Peter Sarsgaard), Denzel shoots for the strong, silent type but winds up somewhere between dull and bored.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
The French gray stone has darkened over nearly 200 years, but its light color and austerity contrast perceptively and soothingly with what is now Charlestown’s dense, ragtag city landscape.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 19 July 2025
With a ragtag defensive line dealing with its own notable season-ending injury — 2023 Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown — the trenches tended to be as leaky as a spaghetti strainer.
—Mike Kaye
july 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ragtag
Cite this Entry
“Ragtag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtag. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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ragtag
adjective
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