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

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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He’s a disheveled figure who drives around town in a tattered van and lives above the rare bookstore that he also happens to own.

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Related Words

• bedraggled 
• messy 
• rumpled www.thesaurus.com