ragtag

• rag-tag

From earlier tag-rag and tag and rag, from rag + tag.

ragtag (comparative more ragtag, superlative most ragtag)

1. Unkempt, shabby, or in a state of disrepair.

   Synonyms: bedraggled, decrepit, motheaten, tattered

   He liked to wear an old ragtag coat that was so threadbare that he'd get sunburned through it.

2. Very diverse; having irregular and dissimilar components.

   Synonyms: motley, jumbled, patchwork, uneven

   The guerrillas were a ragtag band of local thugs, former soldiers, displaced farmers, and political idealists.

ragtag (plural ragtags)

1. A shabby, unkempt person.

   Hyponym: ragamuffin

   Near-synonym: ragbag

   • 2013, Casper Parks, Ages Past: The Isolation, page 258:

     The small group of ragtags, who had followed him to the cave a day prior had arrived and kept a short distance away.

• ragtag and bobtail

• tag-rag