haggard
1 Americanadjective
-
having a gaunt, wasted, or exhausted appearance, as from prolonged suffering, exertion, or anxiety; worn.
the haggard faces of the tired troops.
- Synonyms:
- hollow-eyed, drawn, emaciated
- Antonyms:
- robust
-
Archaic. wild; wild-looking.
haggard eyes.
-
Falconry. (especially of a hawk caught after it has attained adult plumage) untamed.
noun
noun
adjective
-
careworn or gaunt, as from lack of sleep, anxiety, or starvation
-
wild or unruly
-
(of a hawk) having reached maturity in the wild before being caught
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
- haggardly adverb
- haggardness noun
Etymology
Origin of haggard
First recorded in 1560–70; originally, “wild female hawk”; hag 1, -ard
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.
But in 2024, Venezuela produced only about one percent of global crude, its industry left haggard by years of underinvestment, mismanagement and US sanctions.
From Barron's
There’s Jay, looking a little haggard from the years of his life he has spent listening to these schemes.
But in 2024, the South American country produced only about one percent of the world's total crude output, said OPEC, its industry left haggard by years of underinvestment, mismanagement and US sanctions.
From Barron's
It would not have been my first choice for something to discard—I’d have nominated the haggard horse face that stares back at me daily when I shave—but nobody asked me.
As she had nervously explained to Lord Fredrick and his haggard houseguest just the other day, she had chosen a nature theme for the baby’s room.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
