bedraggle: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowLiterary, Formal
Quick answer
What does “bedraggle” mean?
To make something or someone wet, dirty, limp, and messy, typically by dragging through mud or water.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To make something or someone wet, dirty, limp, and messy, typically by dragging through mud or water.
To cause to appear dishevelled, untidy, worn out, or in a state of soggy neglect.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant usage differences, but 'bedraggled' is more common than the verb 'bedraggle' in both varieties.
Connotations
In both dialects, it often evokes a specific, pitiable image of being soaked and soiled.
Frequency
The verb form is rare and literary in both dialects. The adjectival form 'bedraggled' is more frequently encountered.
Grammar
How to Use “bedraggle” in a Sentence
SV(O) (The downpour bedraggled his suit.)be V-ed (She was bedraggled after the storm.)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “bedraggle” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The sudden downpour served only to bedraggle the parade participants.
- Her fine dress was bedraggled by the filthy water of the street.
American English
- The hikers were completely bedraggled after trekking through the swamp.
- The mascot's costume got bedraggled in the rainstorm.
adverb
British English
- The coat hung bedraggledly from the hook, dripping onto the floor.
- The curtains were draped bedraggledly over the windowsill.
American English
- His clothes clung bedraggledly to his shivering frame.
- The banners were flapping bedraggledly in the wet wind.
adjective
British English
- He arrived on the doorstep, looking utterly bedraggled.
- The once-proud flag now hung, bedraggled, from the pole.
American English
- She brought in a bedraggled stray cat that had been out in the storm.
- His bedraggled appearance suggested he'd been walking for hours in the rain.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Rare, except in literary analysis (descriptions of characters, settings).
Everyday
Very rare; 'bedraggled' might be used descriptively (e.g., 'a bedraggled kitten').
Technical
Not used.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “bedraggle”
- Using it as an intransitive verb (*'I bedraggled in the rain.'). Incorrect: The verb is transitive. Correct: 'The rain bedraggled me' or 'I got bedraggled'.
- Confusing with 'bedazzle'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, overwhelmingly so. 'Bedraggled' is a common descriptive adjective, while the verb 'bedraggle' is rare and literary.
Yes. While often used for people/animals and their clothing, it can describe flags, banners, hair, feathers, plants, or anything that can become soaked, limp, and dirty.
'Dishevelled' primarily means untidy and messy (especially hair/clothes). 'Bedraggled' specifically adds the elements of being wet and often dirty, typically from exposure to the elements.
Etymologically, yes. It comes from 'be-' (thoroughly) + 'draggle', which is a frequentative of 'drag'. The sense is of dragging something through mud/water, thereby making it dirty and wet.
To make something or someone wet, dirty, limp, and messy, typically by dragging through mud or water.
Bedraggle is usually literary, formal in register.
Bedraggle: in British English it is pronounced /bɪˈdraɡ(ə)l/, and in American English it is pronounced /bɪˈdræɡ(ə)l/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to the verb.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a DRAGON dragging its tail through a puddle, getting it BEDRAGGLEd with mud and water.
Conceptual Metaphor
WEATHER/ENVIRONMENT AS A SPOILING AGENT (The rain spoiled/ruined her neat appearance).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary implication of something being 'bedraggled'?