Spanish Conversation · Level 99
60 words
Spanish word
desordenar
Pronunciation
IPA/desoɾðeˈnaɾ/
Meaning
- verbmess up
Example
No desordenes la habitación, recoge tus cosas.
Don't mess up the room, pick up your things.
More examples
Las críticas le desordenaron las ideas y no sabía qué decir.
The criticism disarranged his thoughts and he didn't know what to say.
Core concept
A neat row of books knocked over into a jumble.
Common phrases
desordenar las ideas
disarrange one's thoughts
desordenar el armario
mess up the closet
Similar words
desorganizar: Disrupts an organized system or order, leaving elements uncoordinated.
revolver: Stirs or rummages through items, mixing them and upsetting their order.
desparramar: Scatters objects across a space, spreading them out in a disordered way.
Definition in Spanish
Provocar que objetos, documentos o ideas pierdan su arreglo o secuencia normal, dejando todo desordenado.
Word origin
From prefix des- 'undo' plus ordenar (from Latin ordinare, from ordo 'order'), originally meaning to remove or disturb order.
Usage tips
- Use desordenar transitively to mean making something messy; to say something becomes messy use the pronominal desordenarse or describe the result with estar desordenado.