anomie

Or an·o·my

[an-uh-mee]

noun

Sociology.

1. a state or condition of individuals or society characterized by a breakdown or absence of social norms and values, as in the case of uprooted people.

anomie

/ ˈænəʊmɪ, əˈnɒmɪk /

noun

1. sociol lack of social or moral standards in an individual or society

Other Word Forms

• anomic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anomie¹

1930–35; < French < Greek anomía lawlessness. See a- ⁶, -nomy

Word History and Origins

Origin of anomie¹

from Greek anomia lawlessness, from _a- ¹ + nomos law

Example Sentences

Animation vies with anomie; the human stick figures, casting no shadows, are dwarfed by bleak urban realities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Though Santi likes to hit, perhaps just to blow off steam, he has become alienated from the game and resistant to advice — for reasons we will learn, besides the usual teenage anomie.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In ‘The Shards,’ Ellis melds the horror of ‘American Psycho’ with the Sherman Oaks anomie of ‘Less Than Zero.’

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That feeling of rootlessness and discontent, of society coming unstuck — the academic term is anomie — definitely isn’t unique to this country, but it gets massively amplified by our national narcissism and our physical isolation.

Read more on Salon

But there is enough space, even within this anomie, to work together to carve out new understandings of gender, and reimagine the relationship between men and women.

Read more on Salon