What does "disorder" mean?

1. (mess or confusion) a state where things are messy, untidy, or not organized. 2. (public disturbance) violent or noisy behavior by a large group of people in public. 3. (to make messy) to make something messy or break its organized pattern.

disorder

n. · v.

US //dɪˈsɔɹdɝ// UK //dɪsˈɔːdɐ// dis·or·der

1 mess or confusion (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a state where things are messy, untidy, or not organized.

the absence of order or systematic arrangement; a state of confusion or untidiness.

Example

The sudden wind left the garden in a state of complete disorder.

Example

The office fell into total disorder after the filing system was accidentally deleted during the server migration.
- order
- organization
2 public disturbance (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal Law

violent or noisy behavior by a large group of people in public.

a disturbance of civic peace or public order, typically involving protest or violence.

Example

The police were called to the city center to stop the civil disorder.

Example

The government feared that the rising food prices would lead to widespread civil disorder and strikes across the capital.
- peace
- order

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3 to make messy (v.)
C2 Proficiency Formal Literary

to make something messy or break its organized pattern.

to disrupt the order, arrangement, or sequence of something. Transitive — requires a direct object.

Example

The cat jumped on the desk and managed to disorder all my papers.

Example

The unexpected arrival of the guests served to disorder her carefully planned schedule for the afternoon.
- arrange
- organize

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French desordre (modern French désordre), from Old French desordre, from des- + ordre; by surface analysis, dis- + order.

Word family

Noundisorder
Adjectivedisorderly