disheveled
[dih-shev-uhld]
adjective
hanging loosely or in disorder; unkempt: disheveled hair.
untidy; disarranged: a disheveled appearance.
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You can debunk something, but why can’t you bunk something?As readers, we recognize prefixes, like dis-, in-, non- and un-, as expressing negation. We immediately know that “unfair” means “not fair.” However, there are some clear exceptions to these rules. Such anomalies can cause confusion for a few reasons. For one, the prefix in- also literally means in, such as inquire, inclose, and insure. The word impromptu for instance comes directly from the Latin …
RELATED WORDS
messy, bedraggled, disordered, dirty, tousled, ruffled, frowzy, grubby, slipshod, sloppy, slovenly, untidy, mussy, blowzy, scuzzy
Nearby words
- dished,
- dishelm,
- disherison,
- disherit,
- dishevel,
- dishevelled,
- dishful,
- dishonest,
- dishonesty,
- dishonor
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
dishevel
[dih-shev-uh l]
verb (used with object), di·shev·eled, di·shev·el·ing or (especially British) di·shev·elled, di·shev·el·ling.
Origin of dishevel
First recorded in 1590–1600; back formation from disheveled
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for disheveled
dishevel
verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled
Word Origin for dishevel
C15: back formation from dishevelled
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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