dishevel

Shake down thy hair and dishevel it, so!—that is excellent.

From The Twilight of the Gods, and Other Tales by Garnett, Richard

Abashed, astounded, the prince retreated a space and looked, with savage intentness, upon the beautiful girl, superb in her denunciation, enchanting in the rebellious dishevel of her hair, the indignant rebuke of her eyes.

From The Flaw in the Sapphire by Snyder, Charles M.

I find it clear and very clarifying, after the innumerable hours I have spent in trying to dishevel him.

From The Letters of William James, Vol. II by James, William

With rant and revel My hair I dishevel, And I am the queen of Astrofelle.

From Love Letters of a Violinist and Other Poems by Mackay, Eric

“Know you not ’tis rank treason to discrown our sacred Majesty, far more to dishevel or destroy our locks? 

From A Reputed Changeling Or Three Seventh Years Two Centuries Ago by Yonge, Charlotte Mary

Old Town, my slightly disheveled neighborhood of churches, Mexican-adjacent tchotchke shops, is where missionaries established their first mission, colonizing the town that belonged to the country south of the US border.

From Salon ● May 9, 2026

Still, with his chest-hugging T-shirt and rugged handsomeness, Mr. Bernthal recalls John Travolta in his early prime rather than the sweaty, disheveled but endearing desperado memorably created by Mr. Pacino.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

In a story in “Ladies’ Lunch,” an old woman, disheveled after an outing, looks in a mirror and sees “what Diane Arbus might have seen. She gazed, appalled, and being appalled pricked her interest.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

A disheveled man sick of endless waiting launched into an eloquent tirade ending with Samuel Beckett -- "You know what happened in the story of Godot? He never came."

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

His shoulders sagged, and the line of his changshan was mussed, making him seem worn-out and disheveled.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

In this stylish, morally disheveling work, there might be less of a distinction than you think.

From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2019

We come, shoe-strings dragging, skirts impeding, wind disheveling, holding on to inappropriate head-gear, feathers awry, victims of old-time convictions, unadapted to modern conditions, amateur marchers, poorly uniformed—but here we come—just count us—here we come!

From The Fifth Wheel A Novel by Prouty, Olive Higgins

Alison said the men made it to the villa in a dishevelled state.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

Cabin manager co-workers later found him at the bottom of the stairs "dishevelled, pale, sweaty and erratic".

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025

His family found out when they saw him on TV the next day, looking scared and dishevelled.

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2025

Her blue eyes still retained their melting quality; and her yellow hair, dishevelled by the wind and rain, kinked more stubbornly than ever about her ears and temples.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

Wild-eyed and dishevelled, he seemed to shrink back from the light, and closed the door behind us.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

As they descended the stairs, Lord Pomfret emerged from the library, cramming cigarettes into his case with the dishevelling manipulation of the belated swain.

From Anthony Lyveden by Yates, Dornford

That interior was singularly restful, pleasant, after the confused and dishevelling night.

From The Three Black Pennys A Novel by Hergesheimer, Joseph

It was an embarras de richesses rarely met with; and in the rich and precious braids the ivory fingers were clutched, dishevelling them, tearing at them, in the excess of pain.

From Dr. Dumany's Wife by Jókai, Mór