dysfunction

American  

[dis-fuhngk-shuhn] / dɪsˈfʌŋk ʃən /

noun

• dysfunctions
  plural

1. Medicine/Medical. malfunctioning, as of an organ or structure of the body.

2. any malfunctioning part or element.

   the dysfunctions of the country's economy.

3. Sociology. a consequence of a social practice or behavior pattern that undermines the stability of a social system.

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dysfunction British  

/ dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. med any disturbance or abnormality in the function of an organ or part

2. (esp of a family) failure to show the characteristics or fulfil the purposes accepted as normal or beneficial

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dysfunctional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dysfunctions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dysfunction

First recorded in 1915–20; dys- + function

Explanation

If there's dysfunction, then things aren't working right. High blood pressure is a medical dysfunction, and fighting amongst teammates is a kind of social dysfunction. If you know that function means to work, then you shouldn't be surprised that dysfunction means something isn't working. Blind people have an optical dysfunction. A family that yells all the time and never listens has a communication dysfunction. If your car breaks down, it has some kind of mechanical dysfunction. But if everything is going smoothly? You're dysfunction-free.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dysfunction dysfunctions

As Patti summarized it, "there is no free lunch" when searching for sugar alternatives, particularly when several metabolic pathways can ultimately lead toward liver dysfunction.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

She said she’s had patients find out about previously unknown thyroid disorders and kidney dysfunction during pre-ops.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

In a landscape littered with teenage dysfunction, Netflix’s ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ is a moving argument for aspirational television.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

In short, there was no market dysfunction that Bessent was obliged to address, just the market pricing Treasury yields at roughly the same rate the U.S. economy grows.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The dysfunction was so rampant, we regularly had to have meetings to address the issues that plagued our team.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

That essay prompted a bracing response from Luis and Pieter Garicano, a father-and-son duo who chronicle Europe’s economic dysfunctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

"There was a very structured 50-year-long reflection on themes that may seem light, but are in fact about our Western world, about the dysfunctions of our Western world," curator Quentin Bajac told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

The technology could also be used medically, for example, to monitor movement dysfunctions caused by Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, or to help patients recover lost functionality after a stroke.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024

The agency said he died Tuesday after being treated for age-related illnesses and multiple organ dysfunctions for the past year.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024

These living arrangements - more adapted to rustic open spaces than to high rises - led to severe social and psychological dysfunctions.

From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Samuel Vaknin