shaggy hair

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Hair that is long, thick, and untidy, hanging in a rough, uneven way.

   Grammar: Uncountable, so say 'his shaggy hair was wet', not 'his shaggy hairs'.

   Patterns

   • have shaggy hair
   • with shaggy hair

   He came in from the rain with shaggy hair hanging over his eyes.

   The photo shows a boy with shaggy hair and a wide grin.

   She let her shaggy hair dry in the sun after swimming.

2. 2noununcountableinformal

   A deliberately rough, layered haircut that looks thick and slightly messy.

   Grammar: Used for a style or look, often after 'a' when you mean a type: a shaggy haircut.

   Patterns

   • a shaggy haircut
   • a shaggy style

   He asked for a shaggy haircut with lots of layers.

   The band was famous for its shaggy hair and torn jeans.

   A shaggy style suits people with naturally thick hair.

Common combinations

long shaggy hair

The dog had long shaggy hair that needed brushing every day.

shaggy hair and a beard

He returned from the mountains with shaggy hair and a beard.

shake his shaggy hair

The pony shook its shaggy hair and trotted away.

shaggy hair hangs over

His shaggy hair hangs over his collar.

Synonyms and how they differ

unkempt

Describes anything untidy, including clothes or a room, while 'shaggy' is mainly about thick, rough hair or fur.

messy

A general word for untidiness; 'shaggy' adds the idea of length and thickness.

matted

Stronger and more negative: matted hair is tangled into solid knots, not just rough.

Opposites

Word family

shaggy adjective

Long, thick, and untidy, used of hair, fur, or a person's appearance.

shag noun

A rough, thick mass of hair or a layered haircut.

shaggily adverb

In a rough, untidy way, as of hair hanging.

Commonly confused: shaggy hair or shabby?

Practice

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

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