DISORDER Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

disorder 1 of 2

noun

Definition of disorder

as in chaos

a state in which everything is out of order the general disorder of the room after the guests finally left the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disease

an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning afflicted all her life with a nervous disorder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

disorder

2 of 2

verb

(ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-dər

as in to disrupt

to undo the proper order or arrangement of be careful not to disorder the carefully arranged contents of the dresser

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of disorder

Noun

At times, his psychological explanations may seem almost too orderly for a woman who lived so exuberantly in disorder. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 Research shows providing medications for opioid use disorder behind bars reduces recidivism and overdose deaths. — Aneri Pattani — Kff Health News, STAT, 27 Aug. 2026

Verb

For example, tai chi practitioners are encouraged to stay at 70% effort, a practice that reduces injuries, facilitates mindfulness, and helps maintain nourishing, not disordered, relationships to movement. — Paula Chesley, STAT, 3 June 2026 A lot of the research on body image and media psychology has found that exposure time on social media very much correlates with body image issues and disordered eating tendencies. — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 5 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for disorder

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorder

Noun

Roughly two dozen other people, including several children, were struck by gunfire and dozens more were injured in the chaos.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
What was new was someone finally organizing it into something a nurse could use in sixty seconds in the chaos of a delivery room.

— Stacy L. Hambleton, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of chaos

Noun

New findings by a team of researchers from the US and Australia have complicated an ongoing debate over whether a total joint arthroplasty may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

— Mike McRae August 31, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026
As the disease progresses, people can develop a stiff neck, seizures and coma.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of disease

Verb

Rendering examines how artificial intelligence is disrupting the entertainment industry, taking you inside key battlegrounds and spotlighting change-makers wielding the technology for good and ill.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
In the scenario, critical infrastructure in the central Finnish city of Kuopio, including power and water, has been disrupted by cyberattacks and there’s the threat of missile strikes from Finland’s neighbor, Russia.

— Emma Burrows, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of disrupt

Noun

Although not a direct hit, Lala dumped nearly 3 feet of rain on the Big Island, bringing widespread havoc.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
In the movie, a group of teens accidentally release a bunch of monsters from Stine’s book collection, creating complete havoc and plenty of great family-friendly frights.

— Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of havoc

Noun

Fewer than 10 people typically die of the illness each year, but nearly everyone who contracts it dies, according to the CDC.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026
If a parent has an illness so contagious that the hospital can’t adequately protect other patients from it, such as tuberculosis, the parent and child would probably be put in an isolation room with special airflow to contain germs.

— Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of illness

Noun

University email reply-all hell is one of many high jinks that form this bubbly little British rom-com.

— Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
An episode of septicemia, with its hells and paradises, its nightmares and hallucinations, transforms Borges into a story writer.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of hell

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disobliging

disorder

disordered

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Style

“Disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorder. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of disorder

noun

verb

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