dysfunctional

American  

[dis-fuhngk-shuh-nl] / dɪsˈfʌŋk ʃə nl /

adjective

1. not performing normally, as an organ or structure of the body; malfunctioning.

2. having a malfunctioning part or element.

   It is hard to get bills through a dysfunctional congress.

3. behaving or acting outside social norms.

   All the siblings in their extremely dysfunctional family lost contact as adults.

---

dysfunctional British  

/ dɪsˈfʌŋkʃənəl /

adjective

1. med (of an organ or part) not functioning normally

2. (esp of a family) characterized by a breakdown of normal or beneficial relationships between members of the group

---

Other Word Forms

• dysfunctionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of dysfunctional

First recorded in 1910–15; dysfunction ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

She would inherit a dysfunctional government and a corrupt judiciary, but her commitment to a new republic founded on freedom, property rights and the rule of law would give her a good start.

From The Wall Street Journal

And they weren’t the only ones casting a bleak and dysfunctional light on the show.

From Los Angeles Times

One lawmaker, Bino Farmer, said that during a briefing, the Select Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Mineral Resources heard from the department of rural development that the CPA was "dysfunctional".

From BBC

“I had a traumatic childhood,” she says, “and we had a dysfunctional family.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Split between its rival language camps, Belgium's complex political patchwork has long been seen as borderline dysfunctional.

From Barron's

Related Words

• flawed