disintegration

[ dis-in-tuh-grey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of disintegrating.
2. Physics. radioactive decay ( def ).

Other Words From

• nondis·inte·gration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disintegration¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; disintegrate + -ion

Example Sentences

The rapid disintegration of the 300,000-strong Afghan army showed how little we really understood about the country, even after 20 years.

From Washington Post

Put simply, a falling domino touches another, and then another, culminating in “a disintegration.”

From Quartz

The vaccines use a synthesized scrap of genetic information wrapped in a protective fat layer to prevent disintegration.

From Washington Post

It is age—you are growing old—but you sense that the disintegration runs deeper.

From MIT Technology Review

Expecting that disintegration process to be gentle would be ignoring history.

From Freakonomics

After the postwar disintegration of the British Empire, Scots curiously disassociated themselves with the period altogether.

From The Daily Beast

“Because of the disintegration of the USSR we lost Odessa [on the Black Sea] and a part of the Baltic,” one said.

From The Daily Beast

“That would be a big step forward in the disintegration of the European Union,” Soros said.

From The Daily Beast

Absent a cohesive political strategy, the likely outcome is disintegration—and chaos.

From The Daily Beast

This formula—"you're sovereign, so you're responsible"—is a recipe for disintegration.

From The Daily Beast

Granular and fatty casts, therefore, always indicate partial or complete disintegration of the renal epithelium.

From Project Gutenberg

It is obvious that soils produced by the disintegration of these minerals must differ materially in quality.

From Project Gutenberg

The disintegration of the deeper lumps, and the decomposition of fertilizers, will cause the surface to grow gradually softer.

From Project Gutenberg

Amid the disintegration of society it was the sole conservative element—the salt which preserved it from corruption.

From Project Gutenberg

Disintegration of what little administrative organization there still was, seemed imminent.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dissolution
• fragmentation