Other Word Forms
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.
She was underweight with disheveled feathers and feet caked with mud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Upon initial evaluation, she was weak and tired, with disheveled feathers and mud-caked feet, according to Kristine Koh, volunteer rehab manager for the San Dimas Raptor Rescue, which is part of the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Old Town, my slightly disheveled neighborhood of churches, Mexican-adjacent tchotchke shops, is where missionaries established their first mission, colonizing the town that belonged to the country south of the US border.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
The disheveled 58-year-old, who went by Tony, was a cousin of the recently deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
I was bemoaning our plight internally again when I saw Pita, disheveled in her best Sunday dress, and realized we’d had the solution all along.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
