adjective
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untidy; irregular
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uncontrolled; unruly
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law violating public peace or order
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of disorderly
Explanation
Something that's disorderly is chaotic and messy, or unruly and out of control. A disorderly classroom might be the result of the teacher leaving for several minutes to answer a phone call. It's one thing if your bedroom tends to be disorderly, with clothes and books scattered across the floor, but it's another thing to feel like your life itself is disorderly, confusing and unpredictable. Sometimes disorderly is used in a legal context to mean "destructive, or not law-abiding." You might be charged with disorderly conduct if you take part in a protest that's viewed by law enforcement as disorderly, or going against "law and and order."
Vocabulary lists containing disorderly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two Portuguese and a British man were arrested on Friday following a fight at the Champions League fan festival site and charged with disorderly conduct.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
They slapped her with a disorderly conduct charge and let her out on bail.
From Slate • May 4, 2026
That said, the international community is likely to tolerate Japan conducting yen-buying operations if currency moves are excessive and disorderly, and not reflective of economic fundamentals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Lil Tjay was arrested on charges including disorderly conduct in Florida.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
Then Dari started explaining why the cold magnet worked best—something about hot magnets having disorderly molecules—and Twig nodded along like she was actually listening.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
