Hag vs. Sag — What's the Difference?

A metaphor for something undesirable or horrifying.

A downward curve or dip.

An old, witch-like woman.

To decline in vigor or strength.

A derogatory term for a mean or spiteful woman.

To hang loosely or unevenly.

A woman considered to have magical powers, and usually malicious.

To sink or droop from weight or pressure.

A frightening, ugly old woman.

To decrease in value or intensity.

A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as "Hansel and Gretel". Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as The Morrígan or Badb, who are seen as neither wholly benevolent nor malevolent.

To sink, droop, or settle from pressure or weight.

(Offensive) An old woman considered to be ugly or frightening.

To lose vigor, firmness, or resilience

A witch; a sorceress.

To decline, as in value or price

(Obsolete) A female demon.

(Nautical) To drift to leeward.

A hagfish.

To wear one's pants with the waist below the hips, so that one's underwear is visible.

A boggy area; a quagmire.

To cause to sag.

A spot in boggy land that is softer or more solid than the surrounding area.

The act or an instance of sagging.

A cutting in a peat bog.

The degree or extent to which something sags.

A witch, sorceress, or enchantress; a wizard.

A sagging or drooping part or area

(pejorative) An ugly old woman.

A sunken area of land; a depression.

(derogatory) An evil woman.

A sagging area; a depression.

A fury; a she-monster.

A decline, as in monetary value.

A hagfish; one of various eel-like fish of the family Myxinidae, allied to the lamprey, with a suctorial mouth, labial appendages, and a single pair of gill openings.

(Nautical) A drift to leeward.

A hagdon or shearwater; one of various sea birds of the genus Puffinus.

The state of sinking or bending; a droop.

(obsolete) An appearance of light and fire on a horse's mane or a person's hair.

The difference in elevation of a wire, cable, chain or rope suspended between two consecutive points.

The fruit of the hagberry, Prunus padus.

The difference in height or depth between the vertex and the rim of a curved surface, specifically used for optical elements such as a mirror or lens.

Sleep paralysis.

To sink, in the middle, by its weight or under applied pressure, below a horizontal line or plane.

A small wood, or part of a wood or copse, which is marked off or enclosed for felling, or which has been felled.

(by extension) To lean, give way, or settle from a vertical position.

A quagmire; mossy ground where peat or turf has been cut.

(figuratively) To lose firmness, elasticity, vigor, or a thriving state; to sink; to droop; to flag; to bend; to yield, as the mind or spirits, under the pressure of care, trouble, doubt, or the like; to be unsettled or unbalanced.

(transitive) To harass; to weary with vexation.

To loiter in walking; to idle along; to drag or droop heavily.

A witch, sorceress, or enchantress; also, a wizard.

(transitive) To cause to bend or give way; to load.

An ugly old woman.

(informal) To wear one's trousers so that their top is well below the waist.

A fury; a she-monster.

To pull down someone else's pants.

An eel-like marine marsipobranch (Myxine glutinosa), allied to the lamprey. It has a suctorial mouth, with labial appendages, and a single pair of gill openings. It is the type of the order Hyperotreta. Called also hagfish, borer, slime eel, sucker, and sleepmarken.

To sink, in the middle, by its weight or under applied pressure, below a horizontal line or plane; as, a line or cable supported by its ends sags, though tightly drawn; the floor of a room sags; hence, to lean, give way, or settle from a vertical position; as, a building may sag one way or another; a door sags on its hinges.

The hagdon or shearwater.

Fig.: To lose firmness or elasticity; to sink; to droop; to flag; to bend; to yield, as the mind or spirits, under the pressure of care, trouble, doubt, or the like; to be unsettled or unbalanced.

An appearance of light and fire on a horse's mane or a man's hair.

To loiter in walking; to idle along; to drag or droop heavily.

A small wood, or part of a wood or copse, which is marked off or inclosed for felling, or which has been felled.

To cause to bend or give way; to load.

A quagmire; mossy ground where peat or turf has been cut.

State of sinking or bending; sagging.

To harass; to weary with vexation.

A shape that sags;

An ugly evil-looking old woman

Droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness

Eellike cyclostome having a tongue with horny teeth in a round mouth surrounded by eight tentacles; feeds on dead or trapped fishes by boring into their bodies

Cause to sag;

A hag is often depicted as an old, ugly woman, sometimes associated with witchcraft or malevolence.

No, hag is generally used as a derogatory term.

Sag is used to describe anything that droops or declines, from physical objects to spirits.

Sag is a neutral term, describing a physical condition without moral judgment.

Typically, no; hags are almost universally viewed negatively in cultural contexts.

Hags are usually portrayed as menacing, magical figures in folklore and horror genres.

A market might sag due to economic downturns, decreased consumer confidence, or external shocks.

Modern interpretations sometimes redeem hags, portraying them more sympathetically or humorously.

Hags are embedded in cultural stories and myths, often symbolizing societal fears about aging and the supernatural.

To sag means to droop, sink, or decline, typically under weight or due to a decrease in strength or tautness.

While commonly used for physical objects, sag can also describe non-physical declines like morale or market trends.

In children's stories, hags often serve as antagonists or cautionary figures.

Preventing sagging typically involves ensuring adequate support and maintenance to handle the weight or stress.

A sag in a structure usually indicates a structural weakness or failure.

Yes, emotional states such as spirits or morale can also sag.