dysfunctional

[dis-fuhngk-shuh-nl]

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.

3. behaving or acting outside social norms.

   All the siblings in their extremely dysfunctional family lost contact as adults.

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

Other Word Forms

• dysfunctionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dysfunctional¹

First recorded in 1910–15; dysfunction ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Just look at San Francisco, long seen as a dysfunctional emblem of failed progressive governance.

From Los Angeles Times

In the small world these characters inhabit, Mancuso was close to the brothers’ dysfunctional family back in Coney Island.

From Los Angeles Times

"I have a slightly dysfunctional immune system and am really susceptible to infections with big changes in life, or disruption to sleep and environmental stresses," said the 37-year-old.

From BBC

First and most important, the so-called Labour landslide of the July 2024 general election was an illusion, or at best an artifact of the U.K.’s increasingly dysfunctional electoral system.

From Salon

In a 2009 interview with the Guardian, he described his younger self as “a total hellion” and said he was “very dysfunctional at school.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flawed