disarray
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put out of array or order; throw into disorder.
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to undress.
noun
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disorder; confusion.
The army retreated in disarray.
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disorder of apparel.
noun
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confusion, dismay, and lack of discipline
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(esp of clothing) disorderliness; untidiness
verb
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to throw into confusion
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archaic to undress
Etymology
Origin of disarray
1350–1400; (noun) late Middle English; Middle English disrai, d ( e ) rai < Anglo-French dissairay, Old French desaroi; (v.) Middle English disarayen < Anglo-French desaraier, Old French desareer; dis- 1, array
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The disarray may have encouraged his decision to make a complex, unsettling painting.
And unlike classical bits, qubits are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment—anything from heat to electromagnetic interference—that can throw their fragile quantum states into disarray and cause a computer to malfunction.
From Barron's
"I have been trying to book a gas cylinder for days now but I have had no luck so far. This has thrown all our plans in disarray," Prasad, 43, told AFP.
From Barron's
The wrapping paper had been torn open and carelessly retied, but even through the disarray I could spot Nollie’s loving touch.
From Literature
Times have been tough in recent years and the game in Wales has been in disarray on and off the field.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.