disheveled

[dih-shev-uhld]

See more synonyms for disheveled on Thesaurus.com

adjective

hanging loosely or in disorder; unkempt: disheveled hair.
untidy; disarranged: a disheveled appearance.

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

Related formsun·di·shev·eled, adjective

Synonyms for disheveled

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2. rumpled, messy, slovenly, sloppy.

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.

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

Related Words for disheveled

messy, bedraggled, disordered, dirty, tousled, ruffled, frowzy, grubby, slipshod, sloppy, slovenly, untidy, mussy, blowzy, scuzzy

Examples from the Web for disheveled

Contemporary Examples of disheveled

Lemkin hung around the proceedings, disheveled and unkempt, but determined.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’
Nina Strochlic
November 19, 2014
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of disheveled

His all-night ride from Cherbourg had left him disheveled, unshaven and hungry.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
He was disheveled, surprised and angry, but Garlock gave him no chance to speak.
The Galaxy Primes
Edward Elmer Smith
With his fingers he gingerly parted his wet, disheveled hair.
The White Mice
Richard Harding Davis
The other advanced a step, looking a trifle pale and disheveled.
Lodusky
Frances Hodgson Burnett
He was disheveled, but his manner was as imperturbable as ever.
Tarrano the Conqueror
Raymond King Cummings

British Dictionary definitions for disheveled

dishevel

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

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.