dysfunction

American  

[dis-fuhngk-shuhn] / dɪsˈfʌŋk ʃən /

noun

dysfunctions plural

1. Medicine/Medical. malfunctioning, as of an organ or structure of the body.

2. any malfunctioning part or element.

   the dysfunctions of the country's economy.

3. Sociology. a consequence of a social practice or behavior pattern that undermines the stability of a social system.

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dysfunction British  

/ dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. med any disturbance or abnormality in the function of an organ or part

2. (esp of a family) failure to show the characteristics or fulfil the purposes accepted as normal or beneficial

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dysfunctional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dysfunctions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dysfunction

First recorded in 1915–20; dys- + function

Explanation

If there's dysfunction, then things aren't working right. High blood pressure is a medical dysfunction, and fighting amongst teammates is a kind of social dysfunction. If you know that function means to work, then you shouldn't be surprised that dysfunction means something isn't working. Blind people have an optical dysfunction. A family that yells all the time and never listens has a communication dysfunction. If your car breaks down, it has some kind of mechanical dysfunction. But if everything is going smoothly? You're dysfunction-free.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dysfunction dysfunctions

It was the U.S Treasury market that blinked first and threatened dysfunction.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Vice President JD Vance’s insightful 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” describes all manner of white social dysfunction in Appalachia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

“It was not possible for me to imagine a solution to the level of fragmentation, pain, and dysfunction I saw,” she writes, leaving readers without much justification for having followed her rambling, idiosyncratic quest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

He added he was "sick and tired" of Betsi being "a byword for dysfunction and declining standards".

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Maya found herself thinking about Joaquin and Birdie, how Joaquin had said that he and Maya had the same dysfunction.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

"There was a very structured 50-year-long reflection on themes that may seem light, but are in fact about our Western world, about the dysfunctions of our Western world," curator Quentin Bajac told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

This would punish companies that are doing Chicago a favor by staying in downtown offices despite the city’s dysfunctions, rather than fleeing elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

The agency said he died Tuesday after being treated for age-related illnesses and multiple organ dysfunctions for the past year.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024

Impairment of ribosome production and other nucleolar dysfunctions lie at the heart of cancers, neurodegeneration and developmental disorders.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024

These living arrangements - more adapted to rustic open spaces than to high rises - led to severe social and psychological dysfunctions.

From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Vaknin, Samuel