disarray
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put out of array or order; throw into disorder.
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to undress.
noun
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disorder; confusion.
The army retreated in disarray.
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disorder of apparel.
noun
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confusion, dismay, and lack of discipline
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(esp of clothing) disorderliness; untidiness
verb
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to throw into confusion
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archaic to undress
Etymology
Origin of disarray
1350–1400; (noun) late Middle English; Middle English disrai, d ( e ) rai < Anglo-French dissairay, Old French desaroi; (v.) Middle English disarayen < Anglo-French desaraier, Old French desareer; see dis- 1, array
Explanation
If something is confused or disorganized, use the noun disarray, like the disarray that follows your little brother everywhere he goes because he spills everything and never puts away his toys. Combine the prefix dis-, meaning “lack of,” with array, which derives from the Old French word areer ("to put in order"), and... you’ve got a mess on your hands — or a lack of order. That's disarray. Whether it’s your plans, your kitchen, your workplace, or your hair, the noun disarray can be used to describe anything that is characterized by disorder, untidiness, or confusion.
Vocabulary lists containing disarray
Tuck Everlasting
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Mayhem! Chaos! Pandemonium!
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This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
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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.
Perhaps the most vocal and well-known of Luna’s opponents is his predecessor, Alex Villanueva, who paints a picture of a department in disarray, with low morale and trouble in recruiting.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
The leadership disarray compounds the risks of hollowed-out counterterrorism operations, say national security analysts.
From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026
The disarray may have encouraged his decision to make a complex, unsettling painting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
And unlike classical bits, qubits are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment—anything from heat to electromagnetic interference—that can throw their fragile quantum states into disarray and cause a computer to malfunction.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
She was hunting, her dress short to the knee, her arms bare, her hair in wild disarray.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
