dishabille
Americannoun
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the state of being dressed in a careless, disheveled, or disorderly style or manner; undress.
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a garment worn in undress.
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a loose morning dress.
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a disorderly or disorganized state of mind or way of thinking.
noun
Etymology
Origin of dishabille
First recorded in 1665–75; from French déshabillé, noun use of past participle of déshabiller “to undress,” equivalent to dés- negative or reversing prefix; + habiller “to dress”; dis- 1, habiliment
Explanation
Dishabille means partially or sloppily dressed, so if you've just rolled out of bed and thrown on a half-buttoned sweater over your flannel pajama pants, you can say you're in a state of dishabille. Back in the 17th century, when the word dishabille was borrowed from the French déshabillé, "undressed," it was used to describe people who were inappropriately underdressed. You would've been most likely to be described as in dishabille if you were wearing a loose, casual dress instead of more formal daytime clothes that covered more of your body. This word is still used today as a fancy way of saying either "dressed in one's pajamas" or "partially dressed."
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.
Soprano Lindsey Reynolds emerged from a packing crate in 19th-century dishabille and threw a convincing diva fit as La Contessa di Folleville.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025
The lighting is knockout artful and the costumes are all sci-fi dishabille.
From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2016
Polyakov and Tambasco had schlepped a Perspex box full of beta machines in various stages of dishabille.
From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2015
He is angsty and brooding and petulant—a lithe musician who spends his days making ambient drone rock in dishabille.
From Slate • Apr. 23, 2014
Goodness, me!” shrieked the school teacher, taking thought of her dishabille, and she turned at once and fled upstairs.
From Ruth Fielding Down in Dixie Great Times in the Land of Cotton by Emerson, Alice B.
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.
