dysfunctional

[ dis-fuhngk-shuh-nl ]
See synonyms for dysfunctional on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not performing normally, as an organ or structure of the body; malfunctioning.

  2. having a malfunctioning part or element: It is hard to get bills through a dysfunctional congress.

  1. behaving or acting outside social norms: All the siblings in their extremely dysfunctional family lost contact as adults.

Origin of dysfunctional

1
First recorded in 1910–15; dysfunction + -al1

Other words from dysfunctional

  • dys·func·tion·al·ly, adverb

Words Nearby dysfunctional

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dysfunctional in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dysfunctional

dysfunctional

/ (dɪsˈfʌŋkʃənəl) /


adjective
  1. med (of an organ or part) not functioning normally

  2. (esp of a family) characterized by a breakdown of normal or beneficial relationships between members of the group

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012