disruptive
Americanadjective
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causing, tending to cause, or caused by disruption; disrupting.
the disruptive effect of their rioting.
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Business.
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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.
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relating to or noting a business executive or company that introduces or is receptive to such innovation.
disruptive CEOs with imagination and vision.
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adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disruptive
Explanation
Anything disruptive is loud, chaotic, and disorderly. Disruptive things disturb people and upset the applecart. Have you ever heard a teacher tell a loud student "Stop being disruptive"? Things that are disruptive tend to disturb others. Kids whispering in class can be disruptive. A screaming baby on a plane can be disruptive. If you're trying to play baseball and it starts raining, that's disruptive as well. When you're trying to do something and a surprising event screws everything up, it can probably be described with the word disruptive.
Vocabulary lists containing disruptive
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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Nothing But the Truth
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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.
The agreement came late Wednesday, just hours before the potentially disruptive industrial action at the company was set to begin.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
As the world’s most important semiconductor hub, the threat of invasion or even just speculation about it would be extremely disruptive for markets.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Hundreds of people waited through the night or longer hoping to get their hands on the "Royal Pop" timepieces, billed as a "disruptive collaboration" with the luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
"The safety of our customers and our crew is our number one priority and we have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour on our flights," a Qantas spokesperson told AFP on Sunday.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
A prisoner in kemmer would be a disruptive element in his work-squad.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
