Make Your Point > Archived Issues > HAGGARD
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We took the word "haggard" straight from French, where it means "wild or untamed" and first described falcons that were difficult to tame because they'd been captured as adults from the wild. Over time, in English, the meaning of "haggard" may have been influenced by our word "hag," meaning "an ugly old woman, especially in folklore."
Part of speech:
Pick the serious, semi-common, somewhat literary word "haggard" when you want to emphasize the lengthy pain or suffering evinced by someone's untidy appearance.
"He looked worn and tired, battered by battle and haggard from strain."
Explain the meaning of "haggard" without saying "careworn" or "long-suffering."
In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," the title character is haggard:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
A near opposite of HAGGARD is
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