disheveled

[ dih-shev-uhld ]

/ dɪˈʃɛv əld /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR disheveled ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

hanging loosely or in disorder; unkempt: disheveled hair.

untidy; disarranged: a disheveled appearance.

Nearby words

Also especially British, di·shev·elled.

Origin of disheveled

1375–1425; late Middle English discheveled < Old French deschevele, past participle of descheveler to dishevel the hair, equivalent to des- dis-¹ + -cheveler, derivative of chevel a hair < Latin capillus

SYNONYMS FOR disheveled

2. rumpled, messy, slovenly, sloppy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR disheveled ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·di·shev·eled, adjective

dishevel

[ dih-shev-uh l ]

/ dɪˈʃɛv əl /

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.

Origin of dishevel

First recorded in 1590–1600; back formation from disheveled

Related formsdi·shev·el·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for disheveled

Lemkin hung around the proceedings, disheveled and unkempt, but determined.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’|Nina Strochlic|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he expresses concern over her bruised and disheveled appearance, she lies and tells him that she fainted.
How Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt Navigated Anna's Controversial Rape Arc|Kevin Fallon|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The seizing of an American reporter was only a matter of time, and the bespectacled and disheveled Ostrovsky was a prime target.
Putin’s Men in Ukraine Seize U.S. Journalist|Jamie Dettmer|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the language of fashion, their twenty-something, cool-girl angst apparently translates to “disheveled ball gown chic.”
The Vogue-ification of Lena Dunham|Lizzie Crocker|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When he arrived there, the disheveled outdoorsman was greeted at the airport by hundreds of fans.
Burt’s Bees Co-Founder Burt Shavitz on the Doc ‘Burt’s Buzz,’ and Losing Millions|Marlow Stern|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A filthy scramble left him smeared and disheveled on the summit.
Dragon's blood|Henry Milner Rideout
The stage-door burst open and a crowd of congratulatory friends burst in and gathered around the disheveled actors and committee.
When Patty Went to College|Jean Webster
She was untidy, too, and her whole appearance might best be described by the word "disheveled."
Frances Kane's Fortune|L. T. Meade
If he could have seen himself in a glass he would have seen that he was already wide-mouthed and disheveled.
The Master Mystery|Arthur B. Reeve and John W. Grey
Carnally turned back into the store and sat down on a barrel, hot, disheveled, and generally the worse for wear.
For the Allinson Honor|Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for disheveled

dishevel

/ (dɪˈʃɛvəl) /

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

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

Derived Formsdishevelment, 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

Word Origin and History for disheveled

disheveled

adj.

also dishevelled, early 15c., "without dressed hair," parallel form of dishevel (adj.); see dishevel. General sense of "with disordered dress" is from c.1600.

dishevel

originally an adjective, "bare-headed," late 14c., variant (with muted final -e) of dishevely, from Old French deschevele "bare-headed, with shaven head," past participle adjective from descheveler "to disarrange the hair," from des- "apart" (see dis-) + chevel "hair," from Latin capillus "hair" (see capillary). Of the hair, "dissheveled," mid-15c. OED says use as a verb is chiefly a back-formation from disheveled.