disarray
/ˌdɪsəˈreɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdɪsəˈreɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌdis-ə-ˈrā/ (ame, mw)
disarray — noun
1. a condition where plans, groups, or places are messy or poorly arranged, so they
a condition where plans, groups, or places are messy or poorly arranged, so they become confused and hard to manage
By noon, the office was in disarray after two managers resigned.
phrase: in disarray
Layla stared at the kitchen in disarray after the children baked cupcakes alone.
physical untidiness in a room
The sudden strike left train services in disarray across northern Italy.
Christopher found his notes in disarray when the fan blew papers off the desk.
- order
a condition where things are arranged properly and work as they should
- organization
emphasizes planned structure and clear arrangement
- tidiness
focuses on things being neat and not scattered around
文法句型
in disarray
fall into disarray
leave/find + [noun] + in disarray
用法筆記
Most often used in the phrase 'in disarray' after verbs such as 'be', 'leave', or 'find'. It can describe both messy physical spaces and confused plans or systems.
常見錯誤
disarray — verb
- disarraypresent simple I / you / we / they
- disarrays3rd person singular
- disarraying-ing form
- disarrayedpast simple
1. to throw a group, plan, or system out of order so that it becomes confused and h
to throw a group, plan, or system out of order so that it becomes confused and hard to manage
The storm disarrayed ferry schedules along the coast for most of the weekend.
formal transitive use with schedules
A data error disarrayed the hospital booking system before the morning clinic opened.
disarray + system
Meera's sudden departure disarrayed the small team's plans for the product launch.
Road closures disarrayed deliveries to the market before sunrise.
- disrupt
more common everyday choice for interrupting normal order or operation
- unsettle
often focuses more on making people feel uncertain than on breaking structure
- throw into disorder
longer phrase with a very similar meaning, often used in less literary English
文法句型
disarray + object
用法筆記
Formal and less common than the noun. The object is usually a plan, schedule, team, or system rather than a single small object; in everyday English, people often prefer 'throw ... into disarray' or 'disrupt'.