Dishevel (verb)
Pronunciation: [di-'shev-êl]
Definition: To disorder or tousle, especially hair or clothing.
Usage: This is one of those negated words without a positive correlate, e.g. "disgruntled," "unkempt," "nonchalant." If I am disheveled and tidy up, why am I not then "sheveled?" (Do kempt people make you gruntled or chalant?) In current American usage, "dishevel" takes the endings -ing and -ed without any changes to the stem; in British usage, the "l" is doubled: "dishevelled," "dishevelling."
Suggested Usage: Disheveledness can be irksome or disarmingly attractive: "He looked up from the garden, a streak of dirt across his forehead and hair on end, and his disheveled appearance endeared him to her all the more." The word for it also slips comfortably into the metaphorical, "Watching five kids and a Labrador Retriever for a day completely disheveled Mia's sense of humor."
disheveled , adjective; also dishevelled:
In loose disorder; disarranged; unkempt; as, "disheveled hair."
His cheeks were perpetually rosy, and his thinning sandy brown hair was brushed straight back -- and disheveled just enough to suggest a man in a hurry.-- Kai Bird, The Color of Truth
I was known for my disheveled attire, messy desk and erratic work habits.-- Michael Isikoff, Uncovering Clinton
He was wearing a disheveled shirt buttoned up wrong and a belt outside the belt loops and even with the beanie on his head looked as always handsome.-- Susan Minot, Evening
At one point she bends her body in an arc, lifts a hind leg, and scratches her shoulder, leaving a disheveled spot in her fur.-- Richard Nelson, Heart and Blood
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