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dishevel

[ dih-shev-uhl ]
/ dɪˈʃɛv əl /
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See synonyms for: dishevel / disheveled / dishevelled / dishevelment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), di·shev·eled, di·shev·el·ing or (especially British) di·shev·elled, di·shev·el·ling.

to let down, as hair, or wear or let hang in loose disorder, as clothing.
to cause untidiness and disarray in: The wind disheveled the papers on the desk.

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Origin of dishevel

First recorded in 1590–1600; back formation from disheveled

OTHER WORDS FROM dishevel

di·shev·el·ment, noun

Words nearby dishevel

dishearten, dished, dishelm, disherison, disherit, dishevel, disheveled, dishevelled, dishful, dish gravy, dish night
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to dishevel

tousle, muss

Example sentences from the Web for dishevel

  • I never can get them there girls of mine to dishevel themselves in time.

    Manners, Vol 1 of 3|Frances Brooke

  • Rich chaplets these were, that the winds might not dishevel their comely hair, and this is true i' faith.

    The Nibelungenlied|Unknown

  • Men tear their garments; women dishevel their hair; all take off their ornaments, and disfigure their faces with ashes or clay.

    Fetichism in West Africa|Robert Hamill Nassau

  • I find it clear and very clarifying, after the innumerable hours I have spent in trying to dishevel him.

    The Letters of William James, Vol. II|William James

British Dictionary definitions for dishevel

dishevel
/ (dɪˈʃɛvəl) /

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled

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

Derived forms of dishevel

dishevelment, noun

Word Origin for dishevel

C15: back formation from dishevelled
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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