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disordered

disordered

7 4.5
Not arranged in a clear or tidy way
  • adjective
  • /dɪsˈɔrdərd/
translation icon : desordenado
  • After the party, the living room looked disordered with toys and snacks scattered everywhere.
  • disordered eating
  • disordered gambling
  • disordered eating patterns

So water is more disordered than ice.

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Examples

  • Jean-Baptiste swayed in the doorway, his disordered curls lighted by a last ray of sun from the dormer.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Understanding possible mechanisms for the development of disordered eating that may complicate obesity is essential for effective prevention programs.

    Academic text (2012)
  • So water is more disordered than ice.

  • I see a man bringing order to a disordered world.

  • Future studies of both normal and disordered language development are needed to confirm this interesting result.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Many high school students report trying to lose weight, and some engage in disordered eating to do so.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Many of the things that bother us are just our own fears and disordered thoughts.

  • So you're starting to have disordered eating issues.

  • Homeless shelters and the criminal justice system are managing the disordered lives of single men.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Her lipstick is gone, and her disordered hair clings in damp ringlets to her neck.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

messy
vsdisordered
233 1.0

Not tidy or clean, with things in the wrong place

focuses on disorder and confusion rather than dirtiness alone
chaotic
vsdisordered
116 4.7

Not organized and full of confusion

means lack of order but not necessarily total or extreme confusion
disorganized
vsdisordered
  • US
38 3.1

Not in a clear order or plan

is about being untidy or not arranged rather than planning failure
cluttered
vsdisordered
25 3.0

Full of too many things so it looks messy

means lack of order more generally, not only crowded spaces
disheveled
vsdisordered
21 6.1

Having messy hair, clothes, or things around them

is the wider idea of being not organized or arranged, not only appearance
confused
vsdisordered
18 1.0

Messy and not in order, with things mixed up

is the specific idea of not being organized or neat in order
garbled
vsdisordered
15 7.6

Speech or writing that is unclear and hard to understand

refers to visual or physical lack of order rather than distorted content
untidy
vsdisordered
11 1.0

Not neat, with things like papers or clothes left around

is the wider idea of confused or lacking order beyond neatness
disjointed
vsdisordered
10 6.0

Not clear or organized, with ideas that jump around

is broader, indicating general messiness rather than only coherence loss
in a mess
vsdisordered
9 1.6

Something that is untidy and not in order

is the general idea of lacking order across situations rather than only appearance
disorderly
vsdisordered
4 4.5

A place or thing that is untidy and not in order

is the general idea of lacking order or neat arrangement
unorganized
vsdisordered
  • US
4 3.8

Not in a clear order and often messy

emphasizes untidiness or confused appearance rather than only structure
uncoordinated
vsdisordered
2 4.8

Not planned or organized well, causing confusion and delays

is about things not being arranged or neat rather than coordination problems
shambolic
vsdisordered
  • UK
1 8.7

Very badly organized and causing confusion

focuses on general untidiness rather than physical spreading
scattered
vsdisordered
1 3.6

Not in order and difficult to understand or use

focuses on general untidiness rather than physical spreading
unsorted
vsdisordered
1 3.9

Not put in any order

is the general sense of confusion and mess beyond mere sequencing
unarranged
vsdisordered
1 4.1

Not put in order and left messy

covers lack of order generally, not only absence of placement
unordered
vsdisordered
1 4.1

Not in any clear order

applies more widely to confusion and messy arrangement beyond sequence
jumbled
vsdisordered
3.8

Mixed together in a confused and untidy way

emphasizes general lack of order rather than only mixed condition
scrambly
vsdisordered
7.6

Messy and jumbled so people cannot understand it

covers general untidiness not limited to hurried or scrambled appearance
scrambled
vsdisordered
3.0

Mixed up in a confused way

is the broader notion of being not organized or arranged
disarrayed
vsdisordered
5.8

Not neat or in order

expresses general lack of arrangement rather than sudden disturbance
disarranged
vsdisordered
5.1

Not in order and untidy after being moved

is the base idea of lacking organization, not only disrupted order
ill-sorted
vsdisordered
7.1

A group of people or things that do not fit well together

is broader, covering any kind of disorganization not only mismatch

Antonyms

144 1.0

Clean and tidy with things in order

19 2.0

Having things in order so they are easy to find

1.7

Organized neatly so things are easy to find

How Disordered

chaotic
116 4.7
anarchic
5 7.4
disordered
7 4.5
messy
233 1.0
untidy
11 1.0

Surface Forms

disordered positive

Morphology

disordered = ordered (transparent) = dis + order + ed

The prefix 'dis-' straightforwardly negates the adjective 'ordered', yielding the sense 'not ordered'.

Etymology

The word disordered comes from the prefix dis- meaning 'not' and the word order meaning 'arrangement' or 'neatness'. So, disordered means 'not arranged', which is why we use it for something messy, confused, or lacking order.