jaggy

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparableScottish

   Having sharp points that scratch or prick, like a thistle or a rough, spiky plant.

   Grammar: Describes things that prick: a jaggy bush; it can take more or most.

   Patterns

   • jaggy to touch

   Watch out for the jaggy holly leaves.

   The thistle was too jaggy to pick up bare-handed.

   That old wool jumper is really jaggy against my neck.

2. 2nouncountableScottishinformal

   An injection with a needle, especially a vaccination given to a child.

   Grammar: Countable and informal: get a jaggy, two jaggies.

   Patterns

   • get a jaggy

   The nurse said the jaggy would only hurt for a second.

   He was brave about his flu jaggy this year.

   Kids line up at school for their jaggies.

Word forms

Common combinations

jaggy thistle

A jaggy thistle grew by the gate.

jaggy bush

She got scratched crawling through a jaggy bush.

get a jaggy

We all had to get a jaggy before the school trip.

jaggy edges

The broken pot had jaggy edges.

Synonyms and how they differ

prickly

Prickly is the standard English word and is understood everywhere, while jaggy sounds Scottish and more homely.

spiky

Spiky stresses a shape with points, and does not necessarily suggest scratching skin.

thorny

Thorny fits plants with thorns specifically, and is also used figuratively about difficult problems.

jagged

Jagged describes uneven, sharp edges such as rocks, not things that prick you.

Opposites

Word family

jag noun

a sharp point; also a prick or an injection

jag verb

to prick or pierce

jaggies noun

injections (plural)

jagged adjective

with an uneven, sharp edge

Commonly confused: jaggy or jagged?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “jaggy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words