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
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.
Disorderly in its construction, “Tristram Shandy” is ribald and risqué in its content, yet charitable and affecting in tone.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
"Disorderly conduct," said former Gallup-McKinley Assistant Principal Ron Triplehorn, "is going to be kind of your catchall, just kind of a generic term for general misbehavior."
From Salon • Dec. 22, 2022
Disorderly defaults on government debt would cause stock and bond prices to gyrate on Wall Street.
From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2020
He brought in comedy director Frank Tashlin for “Rock-a-bye Baby,” ”Cinderfella,” ”The Disorderly Orderly,” ”The Geisha Boy” and “Who’s Minding the Store?”
From Seattle Times • Aug. 20, 2017
Disorderly passions are then tamed, and become the massy pillars of high-built virtue.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 57, No. 352, February 1845 by Various
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.
