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
- disjointedly adverb
- disjointedness noun
- undisjointed adjective
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.
And Variety's Alison Herman said the show is "never not entertaining" but now "feels like entertaining but disjointed fan fiction".
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
The Lakers looked disjointed early as LeBron James, Doncic and Reaves combined on seven-for-28 shooting in the first half.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
This disjointed display was the least impressive of his brief reign, but Carrick will take heart from the way his players refused to accept defeat.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
But our disjointed, patchwork healthcare-payment system is impossible to understand and out of control.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026
The carcass now sank down, and they disjointed shoulder and thigh bone, wrapping them in fat, two layers, folded, with raw strips of flesh.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Definitions 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.
