disaffected

[ dis-uh-fek-tid ]

adjective

1. discontented and disloyal, as toward the government or toward authority.

Other Words From

• disaf·fected·ly adverb
• disaf·fected·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disaffected¹

First recorded in 1625–35; disaffect + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Still more workers could be poised to join the ranks of the disaffected.

From Digiday

Despite YAF’s efforts to publicly condemn these corporate giants, American Motors, Firestone and Chase continued their global trade unfazed by disaffected college conservatives.

From Washington Post

Almost overnight, the disaffected youths in the band’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video seemed to leap from TV screens into the hallways of American high schools.

From Washington Post

His first book, Undercover Muslim, recounts his time in Yemen, where he learned Arabic amid disaffected young men preparing for jihad.

From Time

More than at any point since the QAnon conspiracy began, there is a tremendous opportunity to pull disaffected followers out of the conspiracy.

From FiveThirtyEight

Think like a typically disaffected and frustrated voter: “All the changes in state government” sounds pretty good!

From The Daily Beast

It rapidly incorporated military equipment and skills from disaffected units of the Iraqi army.

From The Daily Beast

But Patterson said that at the moment he is not directly appealing to disaffected Tea Partiers.

From The Daily Beast

And their message was one tailored to the disaffected young descendants of Muslim immigrants in Europe.

From The Daily Beast

It was illegal to hold political protests in Poland in 1989, so 10,000 disaffected students got together in fancy dress.

From The Daily Beast

He therefore removed the sons out of his way, with a view of annihilating the hopes of the disaffected.

From Project Gutenberg

A secret society, whose founders belonged to the disaffected spirits of the nation, had already taken root in it for a long time.

From Project Gutenberg

So astute was he as to render him unpopular with a section of the natives, and notably with those who were disaffected.

From Project Gutenberg

To be an Irish Volunteer was to be “disaffected,” and to be “disaffected” was to be liable to summary measures of repression.

From Project Gutenberg

His most valuable possessions outside Spain, the provinces of the Netherlands, were disaffected to a foreign rule.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• rebellious