disheveled

especially British, di·shev·elled

[dih-shev-uhld]

adjective

1. hanging loosely or in disorder; unkempt.

   disheveled hair.

2. untidy; disarranged.

   a disheveled appearance.

   Synonyms: sloppy, slovenly, messy

Other Word Forms

• undisheveled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disheveled¹

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

Example Sentences

She howls with the urge to mate, prowling the house in matching fancy bras and thong sets that clash with this disheveled house and its stockpile of cheap beer.

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Leaving the library as the center of the museum’s north side, Mr. Adjaye made eight other slightly smaller pavilions, which he grouped in the form of a slightly disheveled tic-tac-toe board.

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At a party, she met the owner of a disheveled building in Queens, and asked if she could film there before they renovated it.

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There’s no comedy equivalent of Jean Smart’s hilariously blunt mom in this story; instead, Ingelsby trades that tart energy for a transcendent joy accentuating the disheveled humanity of people who could be any of us.

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Lil Nas X deleted all of his Instagram posts last week, replacing them with a slew of photos and videos from a disheveled apartment.

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Related Words

• bedraggled 
• messy 
• rumpled www.thesaurus.com