dishevelled
adjective /dɪˈʃevld/
/dɪˈʃevld/
(especially British English) (North American English usually disheveled)
- (of hair, clothes or somebody’s general appearance) very untidy synonym unkempt
- He looked tired and dishevelled.
- She returned at 1 a.m. in a dishevelled state.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryDishevelled/disheveled is used with these nouns:- appearance
- clothes
- hair
- …
Word Originlate Middle English: from obsolete dishevely, from Old French deschevele, past participle of descheveler (based on chevel ‘hair’, from Latin capillus). The original sense was ‘having the hair uncovered’; later, referring to the hair itself, ‘hanging loose’, hence ‘disordered, untidy’. Compare with unkempt.