disorder
Americannoun
-
lack of order or regular arrangement; confusion.
Your room is in utter disorder.
- Synonyms:
- clutter, litter, jumble, disarray, disorderliness
-
an irregularity.
a disorder in legal proceedings.
-
breach of order; disorderly conduct; public disturbance.
- Synonyms:
- turbulence, riot
-
a disturbance in physical or mental health or functions; malady or dysfunction.
a mild stomach disorder.
verb (used with object)
-
to destroy the order or regular arrangement of; disarrange.
- Synonyms:
- disorganize, disarray
-
to derange the physical or mental health or functions of.
noun
-
a lack of order; disarray; confusion
-
a disturbance of public order or peace
-
an upset of health; ailment
-
a deviation from the normal system or order
verb
-
to upset the order of; disarrange; muddle
-
to disturb the health or mind of
Synonym Usage
Disorder, brawl, disturbance, uproar are disruptions or interruptions of a peaceful situation. Disorder refers to civil unrest or to any scene in which there is confusion or fighting: The police went to the scene of the disorder. A brawl is a noisy, unseemly quarrel, usually in a public place: a tavern brawl. A disturbance is disorder of a size as to inconvenience people: to cause a disturbance. An uproar is a tumult, a bustle and clamor of many voices, often because of a disturbance: a mighty uproar.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have disorderedperfect
-
has disorderedperfect 3rd person singular
-
am disorderingprogressive 1st person singular
-
is disorderingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
disorderssingular 3rd person
-
have been disorderingperfect progressive
-
are disorderingprogressive
-
disorderingparticiple
-
has been disorderingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
-
had disorderedperfect
-
was disorderingprogressive singular
-
disorderedsimple
-
were disorderingprogressive plural
-
had been disorderingperfect progressive
-
disorderedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of disorder
Explanation
Disorder is a lack of order — in other words, chaos, clutter, and general disarray. If everyone in your class is yelling and throwing things, there's no order: there's disorder. If all the library books are out of order and thrown sloppily on the shelf, that's disorder, too. If you mess or mix something up, you're disordering it. Many medical conditions and diseases are also called disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder. Whenever there's disorder, something is wrong or out of whack.
Vocabulary lists containing disorder
Mayhem! Chaos! Pandemonium!
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 15–October 21, 2022
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Health and Healthcare, List 2
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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.
ACC Waddell said Police Scotland were "prepared to deal with any escalation in disorder" over the coming days.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
He said his son has cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder, and relies on assistance to live with dignity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
The Wilmington, Del., company said VGA039 is currently in Phase 3 pivotal development for patients with von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
"In particular, with conditions such as addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder we see a difficulty in breaking habits and shifting behavior. So, understanding the mechanics of behavioral flexibility may one day help us develop better treatments."
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
They weren't partial or biased, just very persuasive in detailing how organic brain damage, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder can conspire to create severe mental impairment.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
