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to disorder

to disorder

1 5.5
To make something untidy or not in its usual order
  • verb
  • /dɪsˈɔrdər/
: desordenar
  • He inadvertently disordered the carefully arranged flowers with his clumsy movements.

Examples

  • The wind began to disorder the papers on the table, scattering them everywhere.

  • Everything seemed disordered to her as she lay there, listening to his breathing.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Pretty one, if ever I find my desk disordered again, I'll throw you outside to push stone.

  • Four steps away, she stopped in order to pull back from the precipice of disordered emotions.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • His thick white hair fell in disordered hunks over his forehead.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • She decided to disorder the books on the shelf to create a more eclectic look.

Synonyms

to disrupt
vsto disorder
244 4.4

To interrupt normal activity and cause disorder

focuses on upsetting physical order or arrangement rather than interrupting processes
to mix up
vsto disorder
  • Informal
83 2.7

To make people confused and things messy

is the action of disturbing order rather than mainly causing confusion
to scramble
vsto disorder
78 2.6

Mix eggs quickly while cooking until they become soft and fluffy

is the broader disturbance of arrangement rather than vigorous mixing
to disturb
vsto disorder
38 2.1

Move something and make it untidy or broken

is about upsetting order or neatness rather than physical interference alone
to cause chaos
vsto disorder
13 4.1

To make a place or situation very messy and confused

is the basic upsetting of order rather than producing extreme chaos
to mess
vsto disorder
8 1.0

To make something untidy or dirty

is the neutral act of disturbing order without implying dirtiness
to confuse
vsto disorder
7 1.9

Mix things up so their order is not clear

is the general upset of arrangement rather than specifically making things unclear
to jumble
vsto disorder
6 3.8

Mix things together in a confused way

is about upsetting order in general rather than specifically mixing together
to mess up
vsto disorder
  • Informal
5 3.0

To make something untidy, dirty, or not in the right place

is the neutral description of upsetting order rather than informal damage
to create a mess
vsto disorder
4 2.1

Make a place messy so things are not in order

focuses on upsetting arrangement rather than the informal idea of messiness
to disarrange
vsto disorder
1 6.4

To make something messy or not in the right order

is the general act of disturbing order rather than this exact wording
to derange
vsto disorder
1 7.5

Cause confusion or disorder in plans, work and schedules

is the simple disturbance of order without implying severe or lasting damage
to disorganize
vsto disorder
  • US
1 4.5

To make something lose its order or structure

is the basic act of upsetting order without stressing systems or structure
to dishevel
vsto disorder
1 8.1

To make someone's hair or clothes look untidy

is the general act of upsetting order not limited to appearance
to disarray
vsto disorder
1 5.6

To make things untidy or cause confusion

describes the simple act of upsetting arrangement rather than resulting confusion

Antonyms

17 1.0

To put things in a neat sequence

Compounds

eating disorder
  • Specialized
48 3.7

A health condition where a person has unhealthy eating habits, like anorexia or bulimia

personality disorder
  • Specialized
39 5.8

A long-lasting pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that causes problems in life

mental disorder
  • Specialized
27 3.3

A condition that causes problems with thinking, feeling, or behaving

bipolar disorder
  • Specialized
24 3.9

A condition that causes very high and very low mood periods

anxiety disorder
  • Specialized
20 4.3

A mental health problem that makes someone feel very worried most days and affects daily life

sleep disorder
  • Specialized
16 3.5

A health problem that stops a person sleeping normally

15 3.6

A condition that makes it hard to pay attention and sometimes makes people very active or act without thinking

genetic disorder
  • Specialized
11 4.2

A health problem caused by changes in a person's genes that parents pass on

10 3.5

A long-term mental health problem where unwanted thoughts make you repeat actions

neurological disorder
  • Specialized
10 5.0

A disease that affects the brain, spinal cord or nerves

brain disorder
  • Specialized
6 3.7

A health problem that harms the brain and how it works

A health problem that affects the blood, like anemia or leukemia

dissociative disorder
  • Specialized
5 8.3

A mental health condition where a person's memory, identity, or awareness breaks down

depressive disorder
  • Specialized
5 4.8

Long periods of deep sadness and loss of interest that make daily life hard and often need medical help

panic disorder
  • Specialized
4 5.1

A health problem with sudden, repeated attacks of strong fear and physical symptoms

4 4.6

A condition that changes a person's thoughts, feelings, or behavior and causes problems in life

A condition often in children causing trouble paying attention, being very active and acting without thinking

autoimmune disorder
  • Specialized
4 4.2

A disease in which the immune system attacks the body's healthy parts

delusional disorder
  • Specialized
3 7.7

A mental health problem with strong false beliefs that last a long time and do not change when shown proof

affective disorder
  • Specialized
3 7.5

A mental illness that causes strong, lasting changes in mood, like depression or bipolar condition

emotional disorder
  • Specialized
3 5.1

A mental condition that causes strong, long-lasting problems with feelings, not caused by clear brain damage

A long-term mental condition where a person ignores other people's rights, feels no guilt, and acts impulsively

metabolic disorder
  • Specialized
3 3.7

A health problem where the body cannot use food or energy properly

learning disorder
  • Specialized
3 4.4

A difficulty that makes it hard for children with normal intelligence to read, write, or do math

3 4.4

A long-lasting problem in the mind after a very frightening event that causes flashbacks, strong fear, and avoidance of reminders

conversion disorder
  • Specialized
2 7.8

A condition where emotional stress causes loss of movement or feeling without a medical cause

nervous disorder
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A health problem that affects the brain and nerves and causes symptoms like pain or numbness

degenerative disorder
  • Specialized
2 5.8

A long-term medical condition in which parts of the body or how they work slowly get worse

skin disorder
  • Specialized
2 3.6

A health problem that makes the skin red, sore, or itchy

2 5.5

A condition when a person has strong, long-lasting worry about many things and physical signs like tension and sweating

manic disorder
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A mental illness that causes very high mood, energy, and activity, sometimes with impulsive or violent behavior

inherited disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A disease parents pass to their children in their genes

speech disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A condition that makes it hard to say sounds correctly or use the voice well

1 3.7

An illness that affects the stomach and intestines, often from bad food or water

organic disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.1

Physical changes in an organ or part of the body cause a health problem

congenital disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A health problem a person has at birth, often from parents' genes or events before birth

1 9.6

A long feeling of not being real and watching yourself from outside

1 8.1

A serious mental illness that makes people lose contact with reality and withdraw from others

1 6.6

Physical symptoms caused by stress or strong emotions without a clear medical cause

A disease that affects the lungs or other parts used for breathing

renal disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A health problem that affects the kidneys

cyclothymic disorder
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A long-lasting condition of mild mood swings between low and high feelings

chromosomal disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A health condition caused by a change in chromosomes that can affect the body or mind

hearing disorder
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A problem that makes it hard to hear sounds or understand speech

menstrual disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.9

Problems with a woman's monthly period, such as heavy, painful, or missed periods

glandular disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.9

A health problem where body parts that make important chemicals do not work properly

1 7.4

An event in public where a group becomes violent and damages property

functional disorder
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A condition that causes real symptoms without a clear physical cause

1 6.5

A disease that happens when one copy of a gene on a non-sex chromosome changes

bladder disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A health problem that makes the bladder hold or let out urine badly

visual disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.0

A problem with the eyes that makes it hard to see clearly

1 5.9

A disease that makes the body's defence system attack itself or stop working properly

idiopathic disorder
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A health problem with no known cause

phobic disorder
  • Specialized
1 6.5

An extreme, unreasonable fear of a specific thing or situation that affects daily life

1 8.2

A serious mental illness that causes very low or very high mood

polygenic disorder
  • Specialized
1 7.0

An inherited disease caused by many genes, for example high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes

1 9.1

A serious loss of recent memory after long term heavy drinking while older memories stay

monogenic disorder
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A disease that happens when one gene changes and parents pass that change to their child

sex-linked disorder
  • Specialized
1 6.2

A condition caused by a gene on a sex chromosome that affects males and females differently

cyclic disorder
  • Specialized
8.6

A long-term condition in which moods often change between mild low and mild high feelings

acute brain disorder
  • Specialized
7.3

A sudden short-term brain problem that makes a person confused and often follows illness, injury, or medicine use

sleep terror disorder
  • Specialized
9.2

A sleep problem where someone wakes from deep sleep with intense fear and often screams, usually without memory

9.1

A group of inherited diseases of the brain and spinal cord that slowly damage movement and balance

How Disordered

to ruin
∞ 2.0
to disorder
1 5.5
to rumple
1 5.4

Surface Forms

disorder infinitive
disordered past
disordered past participle
disordering present participle
disorders third person singular

Morphology

disorder = order (transparent) = dis + order

The prefix 'dis-' straightforwardly marks the reversal or disruption of 'order', so 'disorder' means to make something unordered.

Etymology

The verb disorder comes from the prefix dis- ('not' or 'undo') plus order ('arrange' or 'put in place'), so it means to 'undo order'. That's why to disorder something is to disturb its arrangement or make it untidy.