DictionaryhaggardWorn appearance
adjective

haggard

HAG-erd/ˈhæɡərd/

looking worn and exhausted

The haggard man has heavy eyelids, drawn cheeks, and slumped shoulders.

A close three-quarter portrait of a visibly worn young man, with heavy eyelids, dark under-eye circles, drawn cheeks, unkempt hair, and slumped shoulders.
Etymology

French haggard described wild, unruly hawks. In English, it came to describe a haunted, wild expression, then a careworn appearance—the bridge to looking exhausted or ill.

In context

The 1928 Club271:39
The girl had come down to breakfast that morning miserably pale and haggard, but sufficiently recovered from her illness
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins | Part 1: The Loss of the Diamond | Full Audiobook

More examples

  • The long illness left him pale and haggard.
  • Her haggard face shows the strain of constant worry.
  • The haggard travelers finally reached their hotel.

Forms

haggard

haggardness noun — The state of looking worn and exhausted.

Similar words

drawn
Emphasizes a tight, strained facial appearance from fatigue or worry.
gaunt
Emphasizes extreme thinness rather than a visibly exhausted appearance.
weary
Describes feeling tired, not necessarily looking worn or exhausted.