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Definitions

bedraggled

[bih-drag-uhld] / bɪˈdræg əld /
ADJECTIVE
unkempt
Synonyms
STRONGEST
disheveled run down seedy threadbare untidy
STRONG
dilapidated dirty disordered drenched dripping faded muddied muddy soiled stained sullied wet
WEAK
decrepit dowdy messy shabby sloppy slovenly sodden tacky tattered
Antonyms
STRONGEST
fresh neat orderly tidy
STRONG
clean

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for bedraggled?
The verbs draggle and bedraggle mean to soil something, such as a piece of clothing, by dragging it over damp ground or in mud. The adjective bedraggled is quite specific—it means dirty and limp due to having been dragged in this way. The words soiled and sullied are often used to mean the same thing. A word specific to being made dirty by mud is muddied. A more general word is dirtied. A milder and even less specific term is untidy. Something, such as a reputation, could be described as bedraggled in a figurative sense to mean that it has been besmirched or tarnished.
What is the opposite (antonym) of bedraggled?
The opposite of something that’s bedraggled is something that’s been carefully kept clean. Perhaps the best antonyms are immaculate and spotless (both of which can be used in literal and figurative ways).  
How do you use bedraggled in a sentence?
Bedraggled is a fun word, but it’s not used very often. Here are some examples of bedraggled in a sentence:
  • The bottom of his long cloak was bedraggled after constantly dipping into puddles.
  • The kids came back from their walk on the muddy path completely bedraggled.
  • The bedraggled reputation of the mayor could not be laundered after yet another scandal.
What part of speech is bedraggled?
Bedraggled can be a verb or an adjective depending on how it’s being used. It comes from the past tense of the verb bedraggle.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His two main characters, infantrymen named Willie and Joe, were bedraggled, unshaven, dirty, tired to the bone, contemptuous of authority—in other words, mirror images of many of the real soldiers fighting that war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

But on what criteria, using what metrics, should the bedraggled managers—who have never had to do this before—make the trade-offs now?

From Slate • Nov. 8, 2025

"There's always people looking a little bedraggled who just want something filling and probably with a vegetable in it," Ayesha Kalaji, from restaurant Queen of Cups said.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025

Hawkins lets herself get vulnerable, too, and the film never fakes a punch by pretending she’s anything more than a small, desperate and bedraggled woman with eyes that look like a bottomless well of need.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2025

Running a hand through her wet hair creates a grim mental picture: emerging from the shelter to find reporters in the neighborhood, trying to interview her while she looks like a bedraggled cat.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Vocabulary lists containing bedraggled

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