disjunction

American  

[dis-juhngk-shuhn] / dɪsˈdʒʌŋk ʃən /

noun

1. the act of disjoining or the state of being disjoined.

   a disjunction between thought and action.

2. Logic.

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

   3. the relation among the components of such a proposition, usually expressed by OR or V.

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disjunction British  

/ dɪsˈdʒʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. Also called: disjuncture. the act of disconnecting or the state of being disconnected; separation

2. cytology the separation of the chromosomes of each homologous pair during the anaphase of meiosis

3. logic

   1. the operator that forms a compound sentence from two given sentences and corresponds to the English or

   2. 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

   3. the relation between such sentences

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Etymology

Origin of disjunction

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

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Explanation

A disjunction is a broken connection. If you expect to be a doctor but you haven't taken any science courses since high school biology, you would have a disjunction between your expectations and your training. The -junct- in disjunction is the same Latin root that gives us yoke, the harness that joins two oxen together. So if you have a disjunction, things are not joined together — there's a disconnect. If you order a pizza and the waiter brings you caviar, that's a disjunction. In logic, a disjunction is made by joining two sentences with "or" — "I'm tired, or I'm hungry" — while a conjunction joins two sentences with "and" — "I'm tired, and I'm hungry."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disjunction

He isn’t the first president to face such a disjunction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

This disjunction from reality can border on disdain for it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2022

“I’ve never seen a disjunction between the data and the general vibe quite as large as I saw,” said Justin Wolfers, a University of Michigan economist, noting that employment growth is an economic North Star.

From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2022

You get the sense that the division of selves is therapeutic and also artistic: reveal the disjunction so that you can address it.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 17, 2019

The disjunction between the prince’s all-too-human genetic inheritance and his all-too-exalted political inheritance must have seemed particularly evident to the critics of the monarchy.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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