disorder

[ dis-awr-der ]

noun

1. lack of order or regular arrangement; confusion:

   Your room is in utter disorder.

   Synonyms: disorderliness, clutter, litter, jumble, disarray

2. an irregularity:

   a disorder in legal proceedings.

3. breach of order; disorderly conduct; public disturbance.

   Synonyms: turbulence, riot

4. a disturbance in physical or mental health or functions; malady or dysfunction:

   a mild stomach disorder.

   Synonyms: indisposition, sickness, complaint, illness, malady, ailment

verb (used with object)

1. to destroy the order or regular arrangement of; disarrange.

   Synonyms: disorganize, disarray

2. to derange the physical or mental health or functions of.

   Synonyms: confuse, upset, disturb

disorder

/ dɪsˈɔːdə /

noun

1. a lack of order; disarray; confusion
2. a disturbance of public order or peace
3. an upset of health; ailment
4. a deviation from the normal system or order

verb

1. to upset the order of; disarrange; muddle
2. to disturb the health or mind of

Other Words From

• predis·order noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disorder¹

First recorded in 1470–80; dis- ¹ + order

Synonym Study

Disorder, brawl, disturbance, uproar are disruptions or interruptions of a peaceful situation. Disorder refers to civil unrest or to any scene in which there is confusion or fighting: The police went to the scene of the disorder. A brawl is a noisy, unseemly quarrel, usually in a public place: a tavern brawl. A disturbance is disorder of a size as to inconvenience people: to cause a disturbance. An uproar is a tumult, a bustle and clamor of many voices, often because of a disturbance: a mighty uproar.

Example Sentences

All of this was on full display at the 2020 Republican National Convention, which brought up the riots again and again as an example of disorder caused by a Democrat-backed movement.

From Vox

The alignment reduced the disorder in the system — disorder measured by a quantity called entropy.

From Quanta Magazine

About 6 percent of college students report having a severe gambling disorder resulting in psychological difficulties, unmanageable debt, failing grades, all these bad things.

From Freakonomics

Our aging process extends for years, during which we experience a slew of age-related disorders.

From Singularity Hub 

Thanks to its structurally-sound architecture down to individual cells, the atlas can contribute to brain modeling and simulation down the line—especially for personalized brain models for neurological disorders such as seizures.

From Singularity Hub 

What celebrity has started to talk about his or her eating disorder?

From The Daily Beast

Genetics alone does not an eating disorder make, generally speaking, and Bulik points out that environment still plays a role.

From The Daily Beast

The eating disorder field remains divided over the potential efficacy of such measures.

From The Daily Beast

“ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder] is just a euphemistic way of saying, ‘I have limits,’” Brown writes.

From The Daily Beast

Our relationship did not improve as I entered college and developed a raging eating disorder.

From The Daily Beast

If so, it is to be hoped that, wise man as you are, the first attack of this disorder was also your last.

From Project Gutenberg

Are you quite sure you have never suffered from this rather common disorder, gentle reader, at least, if you be of the male sex?

From Project Gutenberg

The key to all our human disorder is organized education, comprehensive and universal.

From Project Gutenberg

The conflict of these certainties left hopeless disorder in every corner of his being.

From Project Gutenberg

He found the village in disorder, the fields neglected, many houses deserted, the remainder of the people preparing to move away.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• chaos
• complication
• disturbance
• lawlessness
• trouble
• unrest