SHAGGY (shaggier, shaggiest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: shaggier    , shaggiest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shaggy mean? 

• SHAGGY (adjective)
  The adjective SHAGGY has 2 senses:

1. used of hair; thick and poorly groomed

2. having a very rough nap or covered with hanging shags

  Familiarity information: SHAGGY used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHAGGY (adjective)

Comparative: shaggier   
Superlative: shaggiest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Used of hair; thick and poorly groomed

Synonyms:

bushy; shaggy; shaggy-coated; shaggy-haired

Context example:

a shaggy beard

Similar:

ungroomed (not neat and smart in appearance)

Derivation:

shag (a matted tangle of hair or fiber)

shagginess (unkemptness of hair)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Having a very rough nap or covered with hanging shags

Synonyms:

shagged; shaggy

Context example:

shaggy rugs

Similar:

rough; unsmooth (having or caused by an irregular surface)

Derivation:

shag (a fabric with long coarse nap)

shagginess (roughness of nap produced by long woolly hairs)

 Context examples 

Then the Witch looked at the big, shaggy Lion and asked, "When Dorothy has returned to her own home, what will become of you?"

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

It seemed dark and shaggy; more I knew not.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

This breed has a broad head, short muzzle and a shaggy coat all over the body, even under the chin.

(Bearded Collie, NCI Thesaurus)

The maniac bellowed: she parted her shaggy locks from her visage, and gazed wildly at her visitors.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

It has an abundant shaggy outer coat with a soft downy undercoat.

(Cairn Terrier, NCI Thesaurus)

This shaggy dog looks like a small version of the Old English Sheepdog.

(Lhasa Apso, NCI Thesaurus)

A minute later came the shaggy deer-hounds, a dozen or fourteen of them, running on a hot scent, with nose to earth and tail in air.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is a small dog with an unkempt, wiry double coat with shaggy eyebrows, beard and mustache.

(Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, NCI Thesaurus)

The Otterhound is a large rough-coated dog with a shaggy face and bushy eyebrows.

(Otterhound, NCI Thesaurus)

It has a harsh, shaggy, medium-length coat that comes in many colors including red, blue, brindle, or wheaten.

(Glen of Imaal Terrier, NCI Thesaurus)