tousled
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of tousled
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is not a tale where the heroine’s acceptable aesthetics are revealed by her removing her glasses or allowing her tousled waves to tumble out of a tightly pinned hairdo.
From Salon • May 20, 2026
As well as her work in film, Bardot will also be remembered as a fashion icon, with her blonde tousled hair and bold eyeliner setting beauty trends worldwide.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025
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
“That Mr. Harding,” said David as he tousled my hair, “sounds like a real smart man.”
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
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.
