dishevel

American  

[dih-shev-uhl] / dɪˈʃɛv əl /

verb (used with object)

disheveled, disheveling, dishevelled, dishevelling

1. to let down, as hair, or wear or let hang in loose disorder, as clothing.

2. to cause untidiness and disarray in.

   The wind disheveled the papers on the desk.

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dishevel British  

/ dɪˈʃɛvəl /

verb

1. to disarrange (the hair or clothes) of (someone)

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Other Word Forms

• dishevelment noun

Etymology

Origin of dishevel

First recorded in 1590–1600; back formation from disheveled

Example Sentences

She turns away, and I slip out into the courtyard hesitantly, not sure if Sadik will be there and if he’ll tell me why he was so disheveled in the morning.

From Literature

Leaving the library as the center of the museum’s north side, Mr. Adjaye made eight other slightly smaller pavilions, which he grouped in the form of a slightly disheveled tic-tac-toe board.

From The Wall Street Journal

At a party, she met the owner of a disheveled building in Queens, and asked if she could film there before they renovated it.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s no comedy equivalent of Jean Smart’s hilariously blunt mom in this story; instead, Ingelsby trades that tart energy for a transcendent joy accentuating the disheveled humanity of people who could be any of us.

From Salon

Lil Nas X deleted all of his Instagram posts last week, replacing them with a slew of photos and videos from a disheveled apartment.

From Salon