dysfunctional
Americanadjective
-
not performing normally, as an organ or structure of the body; malfunctioning.
-
having a malfunctioning part or element.
It is hard to get bills through a dysfunctional congress.
-
behaving or acting outside social norms.
All the siblings in their extremely dysfunctional family lost contact as adults.
adjective
-
med (of an organ or part) not functioning normally
-
(esp of a family) characterized by a breakdown of normal or beneficial relationships between members of the group
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dysfunctional
First recorded in 1910–15; dysfunction ( def. ) + -al 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Dysfunctional describes something that doesn't work the way it should. If you know all the printers at the school computer lab are dysfunctional, it's better to print your book report at home. Dys- means "bad," and function means "proper purpose," so when something's working badly, it's dysfunctional. For example, your toaster that always burns the toast is dysfunctional. The word dysfunctional is often used to describe relationships or even whole families whose ways of relating to one another are mentally harmful or are so complicated that nothing feels easy or natural about them.
Vocabulary lists containing dysfunctional
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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.
"Basically, we showed that it is not the plaques themselves, or solely dysfunctional neurons, that cause sleep loss but actually microglia," said Macauley.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Onigbinde describes it as "a symptom of the dysfunctional budgeting process".
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
So in 2017, he left Westminster to head to Manchester and spent nine years as a metro mayor, far from the increasingly dysfunctional national politics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Jones, also known for acting in "Parks and Recreation," said the film clicks "even though we're talking about very dysfunctional people and dysfunctional relationships" -- or maybe even because of that fact.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Our relatives regularly went to him for advice on their businesses, rocky marriages, or dysfunctional relationships with their children.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
