Meaning & use
disheveled
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Looking untidy, with hair or clothing in a messy, rumpled state.
Grammar: Used before a noun (a disheveled man) or after a linking verb (he looked disheveled). British spelling is dishevelled.
Patterns
- look disheveled
- a disheveled appearance
He arrived at the meeting disheveled after running through the rain.
Her hair was disheveled and her shirt was half untucked.
The disheveled traveler slept on a bench.
adjectivecomparable
Messy and out of order, said of a place or of things.
Grammar: Used less often than for people, usually with room or papers.
Patterns
- a disheveled room
The disheveled room had clothes on every chair.
Disheveled papers covered the desk.
The garden looked disheveled after the storm.
Word forms
| comparative | more disheveled |
|---|---|
| superlative | most disheveled |
Common combinations
- look disheveled
- You look disheveled; did you sleep in your coat?
- disheveled hair
- His disheveled hair stuck out in all directions.
- disheveled appearance
- The guard raised an eyebrow at his disheveled appearance.
- slightly disheveled
- She looked slightly disheveled after the long flight.
- disheveled clothes
- He slept in his disheveled clothes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- untidy
- Untidy is a plain everyday word for anything messy, while disheveled is mostly about a person's hair or clothes.
- rumpled
- Rumpled focuses on creased or wrinkled clothing, but disheveled covers the whole messy look.
- unkempt
- Unkempt suggests lasting neglect, whereas disheveled can result from a temporary rush or struggle.
- scruffy
- Scruffy is informal and suggests a shabby style, while disheveled sounds more neutral and descriptive.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: disheveled or disheartened?
disheveled vs disheartened
Disheartened means discouraged and has nothing to do with appearance.
Practice
Lena looked ___ when she stepped off the overnight train, with her hair flat on one side and her jacket twisted.
Choose one answer.
Disheveled describes untidy hair and clothes. Immaculate means perfectly neat, which is the opposite, and disjointed describes speech or ideas.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “disheveled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.