disjunction

[ dis-juhngk-shuhn ]

See synonyms for disjunction on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of disjoining or the state of being disjoined: a disjunction between thought and action.
Logic.
- Also called disjunctive, inclusive disjunction. a compound proposition that is true if and only if at least one of a number of alternatives is true.
- Also called exclusive disjunction. a compound proposition that is true if and only if one and only one of a number of alternatives is true.
- the relation among the components of such a proposition, usually expressed by OR or V.

Origin of disjunction

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English disjunccioun from Latin disjunctiōn- (stem of disjunctiō ) “separation,” equivalent to disjunct(us) (see disjunct) + -iōn- -ion

Words Nearby disjunction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use disjunction in a sentence

There would have been continuity between the painted and real world, instead of disjunction.
Coloring-in an Old Picture | Blake Gopnik | July 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The problem of distance is compounded by distraction and disjunction.
Ten Years In, Remembering Our Wars | Roy Scranton | May 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
There is a constant disjunction between political tact and political candor.
Obama's Shrinking Presidency | Lee Siegel | October 9, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
We all sense this disjunction between wanting to make the world, the whole world so much larger than this boot room.
Hanging Out with Ian McEwan: Full Transcript | The Daily Beast Video | April 14, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
disjunction of the secreting apparatus from the copulating apparatus: spiders, dragon-flies.
The Natural Philosophy of Love | Remy de Gourmont

Aversion between married partners arises from a disunion of souls and a disjunction of minds, 236.
The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love | Emanuel Swedenborg
For this disjunction from Hellenic life, brought about by war, is not only physical but has become spiritual.
Homer's Odyssey | Denton J. Snider
This closure of nature does not carry with it any metaphysical doctrine of the disjunction of nature and mind.
The Concept of Nature | Alfred North Whitehead
There exists no disjunction between aesthetic qualities which are final yet idle, and acts which are practical or instrumental.
Essays in Experimental Logic | John Dewey

British Dictionary definitions for disjunction

disjunction

/ (dɪsˈdʒʌŋkʃən) /

noun

Also called: disjuncture the act of disconnecting or the state of being disconnected; separation
cytology the separation of the chromosomes of each homologous pair during the anaphase of meiosis

logic
- the operator that forms a compound sentence from two given sentences and corresponds to the English or
- a sentence so formed. Usually written p ∨ q where p, q are the component sentences, it is true (inclusive sense) whenever either or both of the latter are true; the exclusive disjunction, for which there is no symbol, is true when either but not both disjuncts is
- the relation between such sentences

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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