disjointed
Americanadjective
-
having the joints or connections separated.
a disjointed fowl.
-
a disjointed discourse.
- Synonyms:
- unorganized, chaotic, confused, rambling
-
Entomology. disjunct.
adjective
-
having no coherence; disconnected
-
separated at the joint
-
dislocated
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disjointed
Explanation
Disjointed isn’t when you can bend your thumb all the way backwards — that’s double-jointed. Disjointed means "unorganized" or "disconnected." Disjointed is an adjective that describes something as disconnected, illogical, or just messed up. A disjointed argument is an argument that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The same can be said for a disjointed sentence or a disjointed speech. In a medical sense, disjointed means "dislocated," or “separated at the joint.” When someone gets injured, they may end up with a disjointed shoulder or a disjointed hip.
Vocabulary lists containing disjointed
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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The Things They Carried
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Between Shades of Gray
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s a tall order for a group that looked hopelessly disjointed in the first two weeks to travel across the country and humble one of the hottest teams in the league.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
But the overall effect can be disjointed and disorienting.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Chargers are disjointed, and they aren’t playing with much passion — a strange look for a Jim Harbaugh team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Olivier Boscagli: Made little impact and was part of a disjointed defensive performance.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
An overwhelming sense of relief flooded through his body, and he felt disjointed, like a bowl of overturned Jell-O—jiggly and without structure.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
