running someone ragged
Totally wearing out
Running someone ragged means exhausting them through excessive demands or relentless activity.
The phrase suggests wearing a person down until they're frayed like worn cloth: The kids ran me ragged all weekend.
Often implies being overworked or stretched too thin by responsibilities, requests, or someone else's needs.
- overworkToil to exhaustion
- fatigueWeariness from prolonged exertion
- multitaskingDoing several things concurrently
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- at wit's endUtterly without solutions
weariness · stress · depletion · micromanagement · overwhelm · enervation · overexertion · collapse · stretched too thin · burnout · grinding down · wearing thin · deadlines · frustration · tiredness · pressure · pushed to the limit · strain
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