dysfunctional
Americanadjective
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not performing normally, as an organ or structure of the body; malfunctioning.
-
having a malfunctioning part or element.
It is hard to get bills through a dysfunctional congress.
-
behaving or acting outside social norms.
All the siblings in their extremely dysfunctional family lost contact as adults.
adjective
-
med (of an organ or part) not functioning normally
-
(esp of a family) characterized by a breakdown of normal or beneficial relationships between members of the group
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dysfunctional
First recorded in 1910–15; dysfunction ( def. ) + -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Dysfunctional describes something that doesn't work the way it should. If you know all the printers at the school computer lab are dysfunctional, it's better to print your book report at home. Dys- means "bad," and function means "proper purpose," so when something's working badly, it's dysfunctional. For example, your toaster that always burns the toast is dysfunctional. The word dysfunctional is often used to describe relationships or even whole families whose ways of relating to one another are mentally harmful or are so complicated that nothing feels easy or natural about them.
Vocabulary lists containing dysfunctional
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Hacks," the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her, leads the way with 24 nominations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Campaigning for the union's top job, Egan described Unison's relationship with Labour as "dysfunctional".
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
As levels fall, mitochondrial membranes become increasingly fragmented and dysfunctional.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
In the Backrooms, where unrest and discontent stretch on for miles, maybe more, we can be as dysfunctional as we want to be.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
And this touches me, somehow, even more than the presumptive lie about his assets: that this place he has described as so morbidly dysfunctional could amount to a real and compelling human community.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
