Did you know?
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
Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
In this season’s eighth episode, Mabel (Gomez) puts together a ragtag group to crash ladies’ night, to investigate the rumors that Camila (Zellweger) is buying up all the apartments at the Arconia to build her own casino.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
The best player from the Warriors’ ragtag Summer League squad will not return to the Bay Area.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 8 Oct. 2025
The fifth season will see the ragtag group of characters faceoff against Vecna one final time.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 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 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ragtag
adjective
Share