Word of the Day

: February 8, 2022

disheveled

adjective dih-SHEV-uld

What It Means

Disheveled means "marked by disorder or disarray."

// His hair disheveled and his clothes wrinkled, the late student had clearly overslept.

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disheveled in Context

"I'm a realist. … I know what I see. And what I see is a team that's somewhat disheveled. And that's on me. Somehow, … I do not have the ability at this point in time to affect my players to make sure that we're in a better place mentally and physically, to play the kind of basketball we need to play." — Geno Auriemma, quoted in ESPN, 9 Dec. 2021

Did You Know?

Disheveled comes from Middle English discheveled, meaning "bareheaded" or "with disordered hair." That word is partially based on Anglo-French deschevelé, a combination of the prefix des- ("dis-") and chevoil ("hair"). In English, disheveled describes things other than hair that have a messy or untidy appearance.