disruptive

[ dis-ruhp-tiv ]
See synonyms for: disruptivedisruptiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. causing, tending to cause, or caused by disruption; disrupting: the disruptive effect of their rioting.

  2. Business.

    • relating to or noting a new product, service, or idea that radically changes an industry or business strategy, especially by creating a new market and disrupting an existing one: disruptive innovations such as the cell phone and the two-year community college.

    • relating to or noting a business executive or company that introduces or is receptive to such innovation: disruptive CEOs with imagination and vision.

Origin of disruptive

1
First recorded in 1835–45; disrupt + -ive

Other words from disruptive

  • dis·rup·tive·ly, adverb
  • dis·rup·tive·ness, noun
  • non·dis·rup·tive, adjective

Words Nearby disruptive

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

How to use disruptive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for disruptive

disruptive

/ (dɪsˈrʌptɪv) /


adjective
  1. involving, causing, or tending to cause disruption

Derived forms of disruptive

  • disruptively, adverb

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