as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order
the boys' bedroom was in its usual disarray
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disarray
Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
The federal government shut down overnight on Wednesday, leading some conservationists to worry about the disarray that could result from a lack of staffing for federal land.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
Trump’s trade war has thrown the global trade status quo into disarray, and investors are looking to move their assets from more volatile paper currency.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
The federal government shut down overnight on Wednesday, leading some conservationists to worry about the disarray that could result from a lack of staffing for federal land.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
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Who could possibly top the diary of havoc written in Santa Clara?—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
18 Oct. 2025
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There, the Brewers’ havoc seemed to start.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was also accused of disrupting a second informational table hosted by a student group, according to Illinois State University Police.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Kathryn Palmer The shutdown unfortunately disrupted my weekend plans to check out the FDR Presidential Library in upstate New York, but the gorgeous fall weather in the area was a welcome consolation.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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By contrast, the ICE facility was a mess of overflowing dumpsters, loose body armor and crowd control munitions and a broken HVAC air conditioning system that raised both temperatures and tempers in the aging building.—
Keith Wilson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Carving out the insides of a jack o'lantern leaves you with a big ol mess of pumpkin seeds and innards.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The doctor grunted, shuffled off.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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Mazzulla could shuffle his starting five from game to game, too, based on matchups and other factors.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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So Nix killed the play, checked into a run, and chaos ensued.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
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What begins as slapstick chaos soon reveals a layered critique of vanity, authority and the pressures of appearances.—
Essie Assibu,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But too often, this instinct to chase conflict distorts reality and confuses the public.—
Nancy Gibbs,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
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This view confuses structure with behavior.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Staffieri was appropriately shocked and disturbed by both the antisemitic display and the breach of internal protocol.—
Marsha Sutton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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The plot was inspired by a Japanese news report that had deeply disturbed Woo, about a lunatic guilty of poisoning baby formula.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disarray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disarray. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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