disarray

1 of 2

noun

dis·​ar·​ray ˌdis-ə-ˈrā How to pronounce disarray (audio)
1
: a lack of order or sequence : confusion, disorder
the room was in disarray
… the disarray of paper in the In-Out basket …Jackie Weger
2
: disorderly dress : dishabille

disarray

2 of 2

verb

disarrayed; disarraying; disarrays

transitive verb

1
: to throw into disorder
The discarded magazines and newspapers, the layers of dust and disarrayed rugs …Gloria Naylor
2

Examples of disarray in a Sentence

Noun The room was in disarray. The company has fallen into complete disarray. Verb he had accidentally disarrayed his brother's CDs, leaving a telltale sign of borrowing without permission
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The attorneys also wrote that officers left the home in disarray and broke items in the house, including the head off a figurine gifted to her by her youngest son. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 By the time the raid was over, police had damaged her house, broken a prized possession and left her belongings in disarray. Holly Yan, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 There have been other nominees with at least decent prospects whose trajectories suffered from disunity or disarray in the summer before or during the nominating convention. Ron Elving, NPR, 3 Mar. 2024 This cemetery, like so many to follow, was swiftly filled, or nearly so, and then left to disarray. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 But data centers need to cooperate with utilities and grid operators because big swings in demand can throw electric systems into disarray, boosting the odds of blackouts. Naureen S. Malik, Fortune, 25 Feb. 2024 In cities like New York City and Chicago, the commercial real estate business is in even deeper disarray than in Indianapolis. Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 On the second anniversary of the war, there is no clear succession of battlefield wins, or an enemy in disarray, that points the way to an inevitable triumph. Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2024 Mounting problems Fisker’s problems, many of them internal, are also the product of an EV sector in disarray as carmakers are hit by a collection of headwinds, including falling demand from buyers in the wake of low gas prices and a harsher economic environment. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Seen in a video that moves through the abandoned and disarrayed hallways of the pediatric intensive care unit at Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital in northern Gaza were several babies whose unattended bodies lay on separate hospital beds. Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2023 Hybrid data is here to stay, so don’t let data disarray slow innovation or undermine smart business decision making. Ram Venkatesh, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022 For much of this summer, staff shortages and a surge of travelers have led to long lines at security and passport control, disarray at baggage claim and crowded terminals in Europe. Jacob Passy, WSJ, 12 July 2022 The hands-off approach in Washington is adding to disarray around the death penalty nationwide as pressure increases in some conservative states to find ways to continue executions amid shortages of the lethal-injection drugs. Michael Tarm, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2021 Eslam Negm is no stranger to disarray on the Suez Canal. NBC News, 2 Apr. 2021 Culley assumes a tough challenge of changing the culture of a Texans franchise that in the last year has gone from playoff squad to disarray. Mike Jones, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2021 The economic benefits are nothing compared to disarray and division within NATO. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 16 Dec. 2020 Naird’s situation is of a man with ramrod-straight posture prostrated and disarrayed at many odd angles. Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, 28 May 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disarray.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English disaraye, disaray "disorder, broken military formation," borrowed from Anglo-French dissairay, noun derivative of desaraier "to mishandle, throw into disorder" — more at disarray entry 2

Verb

Middle English disarraien "to break up (a military formation), throw into disorder," borrowed from Anglo-French desaraier "to mishandle, throw into disorder," from des- dis- + arraier, arreyer, aroier "to arrange, order, marshal, equip, attire" — more at array entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disarray was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near disarray

Cite this Entry

“Disarray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disarray. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disarray

1 of 2 noun
dis·​ar·​ray ˌdis-ə-ˈrā How to pronounce disarray (audio)
1
: a lack of order : confusion, disorder
the room was in disarray
2
: disorderly dress

disarray

2 of 2 verb
: to throw into disorder

More from Merriam-Webster on disarray

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