disorderly

disorderly — adjective

1. (of a room, desk, pile of objects, or similar space) not neat; with things lying

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

(of a room, desk, pile of objects, or similar space) not neat; with things lying around in a disorganized way instead of being stored or arranged properly.

Example

Ryo's desk was so disorderly that he could not find his train ticket anywhere.

collocation: disorderly desk / disorderly room

After the children finished their art project, the living room looked completely disorderly.

Common collocations
  • disorderly desk
  • disorderly room
  • disorderly pile
  • disorderly state
  • disorderly heap
Synonyms
  • messy

    more informal and common in everyday speech

  • untidy

    similar register, slightly weaker in degree

  • cluttered

    specifically about too many objects filling a space

  • chaotic

    stronger; suggests complete confusion rather than just lack of neatness

Antonyms
  • neat

    carefully arranged and clean

  • tidy

    everything in its proper place

  • orderly

    arranged according to a system or plan

Usage Note

More formal than 'messy' or 'untidy.' Can describe both physical spaces and abstract arrangements.

Common Mistakes

Her eating habits are disorderly.
Her eating habits are disordered.
'disorderly' refers to mess or rowdiness; 'disordered' is used for medical or psychological conditions.

2. (of a person or group) acting in a noisy, angry, or threatening manner somewhere

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

(of a person or group) acting in a noisy, angry, or threatening manner somewhere public — often after drinking — and refusing to follow normal standards of acceptable conduct.

Example

The pub manager called the police when a group of disorderly fans started shouting and pushing each other.

collocation: disorderly fans / disorderly crowd

Rodrigo was arrested for being drunk and disorderly outside the concert hall.

fixed legal phrase: drunk and disorderly

Common collocations
  • disorderly conduct
  • disorderly behavior
  • drunk and disorderly
  • disorderly crowd
  • disorderly spectators
Synonyms
  • rowdy

    similar meaning, slightly less formal and less legal

  • unruly

    difficult to control; can apply to crowds or children

  • violent

    stronger; implies physical harm rather than just noise

  • lawless

    suggests a deliberate rejection of rules, not just noisy behavior

Antonyms

Usage Note

Commonly appears in legal contexts. The fixed phrase 'drunk and disorderly' is a specific offense in many legal systems. 'Disorderly conduct' is a broad legal term for disruptive public behavior.

Common Mistakes

The children were disorderly at the birthday party.
The children were rowdy at the birthday party.
'disorderly' is too strong and legal-sounding for ordinary misbehavior; use 'rowdy' or 'unruly' for mild situations.
Idioms

drunk and disorderly

idiom

Behaving badly in public, such as shouting or fighting, because you have drunk too much alcohol.

The police took Maya away for being drunk and disorderly.

Was Diego charged with drunk and disorderly conduct last night?

disorderly — adverb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a lack of neatness, but they differ in degree and focus. 'Messy' is the most general and informal — it covers everything from a messy bedroom to messy handwriting. 'Untidy' is slightly more formal and implies that things are not in their correct place rather than necessarily dirty. 'Cluttered' specifically means too many objects filling a space, making it hard to move or work — a desk can be cluttered without being dirty. 'Disorderly' (sense 1) is the most formal of the group and emphasizes a lack of system or arrangement: a disorderly room isn't just messy — it feels like nothing has been put where it belongs. 'Chaotic' is the strongest: it suggests complete confusion where nothing can be found. For everyday situations, 'messy' or 'untidy' are more natural choices than 'disorderly,' which carries a slightly more disapproving tone.

messy ↗untidy ↗cluttered ↗chaotic

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • completely disorderly
  • quite disorderly
  • rather disorderly
  • entirely disorderly

Phrases

  • in a disorderly manner
  • in a disorderly state
  • in a disorderly fashion

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the prefix 'dis-' (meaning 'not' or 'lack of') plus the word 'orderly,' which itself comes from 'order' (from Latin 'ordo,' meaning 'row, series, arrangement'). First recorded in the 16th century, the word originally described military or organizational situations lacking proper order, and later extended to both physical mess and unruly behavior.