disarray 1 of 2

noun

ˌdis-ə-ˈrā How to pronounce disarray (audio)
Definition of disarraynext
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order the boys' bedroom was in its usual disarray

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

disarray

2 of 2

verb

as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of he had accidentally disarrayed his brother's CDs, leaving a telltale sign of borrowing without permission

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disarray
Noun
The shock reelection in Brazil of leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which polls — and Wall Street prognosticators — had pegged as unlikely, has left markets in disarray. — Marta Biino, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026 France is overspending, crashing toward a debt crisis that could throw the euro and the European economy into disarray. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
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 See All Example Sentences for disarray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disarray
  1. havoc
  2. disrupt
  3. mess
  4. shuffle
  5. chaos
  6. confuse
  7. jumble
  8. disturb
Noun
  • Last year, business leaders reached out to the mayor’s team to express their fears that the City Council’s plan to raise the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour would wreak financial havoc on the city’s hospitality industry.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the war has wreaked global havoc with no end in sight.
    — S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of havoc
Verb
  • That strategy allows the state to store water without disrupting the river system itself, proponents say, as opposed to the fish-killing dams of the past.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • This higher baseline expression in female brains could therefore help maintain activity across this network when other genes are disrupted.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of disrupt
Noun
  • If Uncle Sam does not change course, America’s unsustainable fiscal mess will result in adverse economic, national security, foreign relations, and domestic tranquility consequences.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Andrew Schaefer, a forty-two-year-old father in Orlando, Florida, who helps people out of tax messes, also likes to wager on elections.
    — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of mess
Verb
  • Findings of no effect tend to either be shuffled off to low-profile journals or left behind as unpublished lab lore.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026
  • For the most part, this was a second consecutive solid performance by a group that will likely undergo major personnel shuffling all season.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of shuffle
Noun
  • In the movie, viewers see the regal structure, still intact, glimpsed through the office window of cranky CIA bureau chief MJ (Steve Buscemi), a key player in orchestrating the chaos.
    — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Meiser’s partner said their approach was intended to minimize chaos in the jail system.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of chaos
Verb
  • Nearly all of the 70,000-plus fans in attendance — even the half of the stadium that was wearing Denver Broncos orange — were confused.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Neither party should confuse a vote with a lifetime commitment.
    — Jose M. Muñoz, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of confuse
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumble
Verb
  • The end result has given rise to an insidious and often disturbing form of violence that wins victims’ trust before preying upon them or coercing them into hurting others – for money, for social media clout or sometimes for no reason at all.
    — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026
  • How to Remove Dead Annuals From the Garden Many annuals are shallow-rooted and easily removed from the garden, but be careful not to disturb the roots of nearby perennials.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of disturb

Browse Nearby Words

disarranging
disarray
disarrayed
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Cite this Entry

“Disarray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disarray. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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