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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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
Rather than follow either party to their next apartment, Kevin opts to take up residence in a local shelter, among a ragtag crew of his fellow animals.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Recently released from prison, coach Walt Mangian joins a local youth gym to help a ragtag team of adolescent boxers aspiring to a national championship.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Rather, our liberties would be saved by the ragtag battalions of night people doing their tireless work, unpaid, unheralded, and largely unseen.
—Daniel Brook, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ragtag
Cite this Entry
“Ragtag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtag. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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ragtag
adjective
