Other Word Forms
- undisheveled adjective
Etymology
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
Explanation
The meaning of disheveled hasn't changed much from the 16th and 17th centuries, when it referred to disordered clothing or hair. If your brother were coming in from the snow, you could blame static and hat-hair for his disheveled look, but no, he just never uses a comb. People or things that are disheveled are kind of a mess. Wrinkled clothes, knotted hair, and a chaotic house might earn the adjective disheveled. There are a lot of synonyms for disheveled, including "disordered," "sloppy," and "cluttered." A person can look disheveled when getting up in the morning, and some people even adopt a disheveled look on purpose, trying to appear casual about grooming and dressing while working hard to achieve just the right unwashed and mussed-up style.
Vocabulary lists containing disheveled
Shear Genius: Hairy Vocabulary
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Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A disheveled man sick of endless waiting launched into an eloquent tirade ending with Samuel Beckett -- "You know what happened in the story of Godot? He never came."
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
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.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025
At a party, she met the owner of a disheveled building in Queens, and asked if she could film there before they renovated it.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2025
His words reveal a man who knows the world sees him differently from the truth of the flawed, disheveled guy staring back at him from the mirror every morning.
From Salon • Jul. 24, 2025
He wore a slightly disheveled look, as if he’d only woken up a few minutes ago.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
