dishevelled

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From earlier dishevely, from Old French deschevelé (modern French déchevelé and échevelé), from des- (dis-), + chevel (hair) (modern French cheveu). See there for more details.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dɪˈʃɛvəld/, /dɪsˈʃɛvəld/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

dishevelled (comparative more dishevelled, superlative most dishevelled)

a dishevelled man
  1. (of a person) With the hair uncombed.
    Synonyms: messy, scraggly, tousled, unkempt, untidy
  2. (by extension) Disorderly or untidy in appearance.
    Synonyms: untidy, slovenly
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 6, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
      The men resided in a huge bunk house, which consisted of one room only, with a shack outside where the cooking was done. In the large room were a dozen bunks ; half of them in a very dishevelled state, []
    • 2018 August 31, Peter Bradshaw, “The Other Side of the Wind review – lost Orson Welles epic is hurricane of anger and wit”, in The Guardian:
      This is a crazy, dishevelled, often hilarious film, in which lightning flashes of wit and insight crackle periodically across a plane of tedium. I sometimes felt I was watching the 100-hour version.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

dishevelled

  1. simple past and past participle of dishevel