disheveled

disheveled — adjective

  • disheveledpositive
  • more disheveledcomparative
  • most disheveledsuperlative

1. looking messy and unkempt, with hair, clothes, or general appearance in a disord

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

looking messy and unkempt, with hair, clothes, or general appearance in a disorderly state — often as if someone has just woken up, been caught in bad weather, or gone through a tiring experience

Example

Sana arrived at the meeting with disheveled hair and a wrinkled shirt.

After sleeping on the airport floor, Christopher looked completely disheveled.

collocation: completely disheveled

Common collocations
  • disheveled hair
  • disheveled appearance
  • disheveled clothes
  • disheveled state
Synonyms
  • unkempt

    specifically about hair and grooming rather than clothes or surroundings

  • scruffy

    suggests worn or shabby clothes; more informal

  • messy

    more general — can describe rooms, handwriting, situations, not just appearance

  • bedraggled

    implies being wet, muddy, or having been through rough conditions

Antonyms
  • neat

    clean, orderly, and well-arranged

  • kempt

    well-groomed and tidy (rare, formal)

Usage Note

British English spells this word dishevelled (double 'l'). Both spellings are pronounced the same.

Common Mistakes

Her hair was dischevled.
Her hair was disheveled.
the spelling is d-i-s-h-e-v-e-l-e-d (American) or d-i-s-h-e-v-e-l-l-e-d (British).

Word family

  • dishevel
    verbC2
  • dishevelment
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Disheveled describes a temporary state of untidiness — someone who normally looks neat but has had a rough morning. Unkempt, by contrast, often implies ongoing neglect of grooming and carries a more negative judgement. Scruffy is the most informal of the group and typically describes shabby or worn clothing rather than hair; calling someone scruffy can sound affectionate or gently teasing. Messy is the broadest term — a messy room, messy handwriting, or messy hair are all natural, while disheveled would sound odd describing handwriting. Bedraggled adds a specific element of wetness or mud; someone caught in the rain is bedraggled, not just disheveled. Example: after a long flight you look disheveled; after months of not cutting your hair you look unkempt; after being pushed into a swimming pool you look bedraggled.

unkempt ↗scruffy ↗messy ↗bedraggled ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • look disheveled
  • seem disheveled

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Disheveled comes from the Old French word deschevelé, meaning 'with hair undone' or 'bareheaded', formed from des- (apart, away) and chevel (hair), which traces back to Latin capillus (hair). Originally it described only disarranged hair, but over centuries its meaning broadened to cover general untidiness of clothes and appearance. The spelling has been unstable: the French root had one 'l', but English added a second in the British form dishevelled, while American English later dropped it back to one.

First known use

1583

1583, in the meaning defined above