disruptive

American  

[dis-ruhp-tiv] / dɪsˈrʌp tɪv /

adjective

1. causing, tending to cause, or caused by disruption; disrupting.

   the disruptive effect of their rioting.

2. Business.

   1. relating to or noting a new product, service, or idea that radically changes an industry or business strategy, especially by creating a new market and disrupting an existing one.

      disruptive innovations such as the cell phone and the two-year community college.

   2. relating to or noting a business executive or company that introduces or is receptive to such innovation.

      disruptive CEOs with imagination and vision.

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disruptive British  

/ dɪsˈrʌptɪv /

adjective

1. involving, causing, or tending to cause disruption

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Other Word Forms

• disruptively adverb
• disruptiveness noun
• nondisruptive adjective

Etymology

Origin of disruptive

First recorded in 1835–45; disrupt + -ive

Example Sentences

Pressured by growing worries about the disruptive potential of new AI coding tools, shares of large software companies such as Salesforce and ServiceNow have been sliding for months.

From The Wall Street Journal

These bets indicate the disruptive innovation of Netflix will be recognized by regulators or, if necessary, federal judges.

From Barron's

But more recently, the disruptive potential of AI is back in focus.

From MarketWatch

The latest shutdown will prove far less disruptive, because unlike the six-week closure that began in October, the partial shutdown this week was too brief to cause serious interruptions to the government’s data-collection efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was excessive investment in network infrastructure during the dot-com bubble, though the internet still proved to be radically disruptive and transformative.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• disturbing
• rowdy
• troublesome
• unruly
• upsetting