scraggly

Then, a mischief of magpies began a ruckus, chattering and hopping from branch to branch of a scraggly tree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

A shriek broke the dawn on the savannah, followed by more screeches and the rustle of branches: The wild Fongoli chimps were bidding each other good morning in the dry, scraggly Sahel.

From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026

A scraggly crust punk wore a jacket patched with an upside-down American flag.

From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2025

But he’s drawn to the one real tree — a humble, scraggly little thing — inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Fir Tree.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2024

Every now and then, Bertha looked dreamily over at Gus like he was a movie star and not some scraggly haired man who worked in a mattress factory over in Cooperville.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

“You don’t want to answer the door with wet hair and be the scraggliest person at your own party,” she says.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 9, 2021

But Kimbrel, the Red Sox closer, and Turner, the Dodgers’ third baseman, now seem to be competing for the unofficial title of bushiest, scraggliest, most unkempt beard in sports.

From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2018