tousled

American  

[tou-zuhld] / ˈtaʊ zəld /

adjective

1. disordered or disheveled.

   tousled hair; tousled clothes.

   Synonyms:

   untidy, tangled, messy

---

Etymology

Origin of tousled

First recorded in 1840–50; tousle + -ed ²

Explanation

Anything that's tousled is rumpled or disheveled, like your tousled hair when you first get out of bed in the morning. The adjective tousled can be used for anything that's untidy, but you'll usually see it describing a head of hair. Tousled hair is messy, windblown, or otherwise unkempt. The verb tousle came first—today it means "make untidy," but originally to tousle was "to handle or push roughly."

Example Sentences

There are tousled children in thick wool sweaters and copper pots hanging from the ceiling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Although she was still honing her skills, her tall, lean beauty, capped with a tousled jazz-age bob, caught Putnam’s attention.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025

In the trailer, Chalamet is seen with Dylan's distinctive tousled hair, performing his 1963 classic A Hard Rain’s a‐Gonna Fall.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2024

Mr. Brown’s tousled hair and gravelly voice have spoken to working-class voters since he was elected Ohio’s secretary of state in 1982.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2024

His cheeks are rosy and his hair tousled from sleep.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein