dysfunction

/dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən/

abnormal or impaired function

The family's dysfunction became apparent during the crisis.

The family's abnormal behavior patterns or impaired relationships were clearly visible during the crisis.

Medicine

formal

impaired or abnormal functioning, especially in a system, body part, or social group

The doctor diagnosed the patient with kidney dysfunction.

The doctor identified abnormal functioning in the patient's kidneys.

Commonly used in medical contexts to describe organs or systems not working properly.

formal

abnormal or impaired behavior within a family or social group

The therapist specialized in treating families with severe dysfunction.

The therapist focused on families exhibiting abnormal or harmful behavioral patterns.

Often used in psychological or sociological discussions about unhealthy group dynamics.

Engineering

technical

failure to perform a normal or expected function

The software's dysfunction led to system crashes.

The software's failure to perform normally resulted in system crashes.

Used in technical fields to describe systems or devices not operating as intended.

Collocations

family dysfunctionabnormal behavior patterns in a familyorgan dysfunctionimpaired function of an organsystemic dysfunctionwidespread failure within a system

While 'dysfunction' is precise, it can sound dramatic. Reserve it for significant issues rather than everyday problems.

Use 'dysfunction' for systems, bodies, or groups—not for individual mistakes or personal flaws.

From Latin *dys-* (bad, difficult) + *functio* (performance, execution), first recorded in English in the mid-17th century.

Often used in formal or technical contexts; can sound overly clinical in casual conversation. Avoid using to describe minor inconveniences.

dys-

bad or difficult

prefix

-function

performance or operation

root

English Dictionary