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to disorder

to disorder

7 5.5
To make something untidy or not in its usual order
  • verb
  • /dɪsˈɔrdər/
translation icon : 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
269 4.4

To interrupt normal activity and cause disorder

focuses on upsetting physical order or arrangement rather than interrupting processes
to mess
vsto disorder
248 1.0

To make something untidy or dirty

is the neutral act of disturbing order without implying dirtiness
to disturb
vsto disorder
97 2.1

Move something and make it untidy or broken

is about upsetting order or neatness rather than physical interference alone
to scramble
vsto disorder
85 2.6

Mix eggs quickly while cooking until they become soft and fluffy

is the broader disturbance of arrangement rather than vigorous mixing
to mix up
vsto disorder
  • Informal
65 2.7

To make people confused and things messy

is the action of disturbing order rather than mainly causing confusion
to mess up
vsto disorder
  • Informal
52 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 confuse
vsto disorder
38 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
22 3.8

Mix things together in a confused way

is about upsetting order in general rather than specifically mixing together
to cause chaos
vsto disorder
7 4.1

To make a place or situation very messy and confused

is the basic upsetting of order rather than producing extreme chaos
to disorganize
vsto disorder
  • US
4 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
2 8.1

To make someone's hair or clothes look untidy

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

To make things untidy or cause confusion

describes the simple act of upsetting arrangement rather than resulting confusion
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

Antonyms

201 1.0

To put things in a neat sequence

Compounds

eating disorder
  • Specialized
40 3.7

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

personality disorder
  • Specialized
34 5.8

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

bipolar disorder
  • Specialized
24 3.9

A condition that causes very high and very low mood periods

mental disorder
  • Specialized
20 3.3

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

anxiety disorder
  • Specialized
12 4.3

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

11 3.6

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

sleep disorder
  • Specialized
11 3.5

A health problem that stops a person sleeping normally

genetic disorder
  • Specialized
9 4.2

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

neurological disorder
  • Specialized
8 5.0

A disease that affects the brain, spinal cord or nerves

8 3.5

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

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

brain disorder
  • Specialized
5 3.7

A health problem that harms the brain and how it works

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

depressive disorder
  • Specialized
3 4.8

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

3 4.6

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

panic disorder
  • Specialized
3 5.1

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

conversion disorder
  • Specialized
2 7.8

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

affective disorder
  • Specialized
2 7.5

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

metabolic disorder
  • Specialized
2 3.7

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

2 4.4

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

dissociative disorder
  • Specialized
2 8.3

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

emotional disorder
  • Specialized
2 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

learning disorder
  • Specialized
2 4.4

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

nervous disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.1

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

skin disorder
  • Specialized
1 3.6

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

delusional disorder
  • Specialized
1 7.7

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

1 9.6

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

1 3.7

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

1 5.5

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

speech disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.3

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

chromosomal disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.3

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

congenital disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.9

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

cyclothymic disorder
  • Specialized
1 9.8

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

degenerative disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.8

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

1 6.5

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

manic disorder
  • Specialized
1 6.5

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

glandular disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.9

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

hearing disorder
  • Specialized
1 3.3

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

inherited disorder
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A disease parents pass to their children in their genes

1 6.6

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

renal disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A health problem that affects the kidneys

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

organic disorder
  • Specialized
1 5.1

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

1 8.1

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

bladder disorder
  • Specialized
4.2

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

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

9.1

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

functional disorder
  • Specialized
6.4

A condition that causes real symptoms without a clear physical cause

8.2

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

menstrual disorder
  • Specialized
4.9

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

monogenic disorder
  • Specialized
8.0

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

idiopathic disorder
  • Specialized
8.4

A health problem with no known cause

5.9

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

phobic disorder
  • Specialized
6.5

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

polygenic disorder
  • Specialized
7.0

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

sex-linked disorder
  • Specialized
6.2

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

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

7.4

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

visual disorder
  • Specialized
5.0

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

How Disordered

to ruin
2.0
to disorder
7 5.5
to rumple
6 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.