dishevelled
Britishadjective
-
(esp of hair) hanging loosely
-
(of general appearance) unkempt; untidy
Etymology
Origin of dishevelled
C15 dischevelee, from Old French deschevelé, from des- dis- 1 + chevel hair, from Latin capillus
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.
They're dishevelled because they've just got off a bus to Glasgow, ahead of show 82.
From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026
But Mr Bennett told BBC Radio Kent that British officials saw his father was "dishevelled and had lost a lot of weight", while his mother was not walking well due to prison conditions.
From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025
It's a spectacular downfall for Silicon Valley's dishevelled wunderkind, who rubbed elbows with celebrities like Gisele and Tom Brady.
From BBC • Nov. 3, 2023
Her blue eyes still retained their melting quality; and her yellow hair, dishevelled by the wind and rain, kinked more stubbornly than ever about her ears and temples.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
