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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
Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
To counteract Hitler's fleet of German U-boats, Winston Churchill's special operations executive, Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill), assembles a ragtag team of rogues and rebels — relying on bizarre tactics to use against the Nazis.
—James Mercadante, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
When an eager new editor-in-chief arrives, she and a group of ragtag staffers are tasked with breathing new life into the Toledo Truth Teller.
—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
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Cite this Entry
“Ragtag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtag. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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ragtag
adjective
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