dysfunction

noun

variants also disfunction
Definition of dysfunctionnext
as in disease
impaired or abnormal functioning (as of a body part) She's suffered from minor brain dysfunction since the accident.

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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 dysfunction This black-pink yin-and-yang frays as time together reveals the depths of each character’s dysfunctions, and their camaraderie veers into codependence. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026 If not properly administered and monitored, an unsafe amount of potassium entering the body can lead to cardiac arrhythmia, kidney dysfunction, muscle weakness or spasms, metabolic disturbances or death, according to Ameri Pharma. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 The Pratts are in serious crisis, besieged by bullies and bad neighbors outside of their house and foundation-crumbling dysfunction inside it. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026 Severe back pain combined with bladder dysfunction can signal compression of the nerves at the base of the spinal cord. — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dysfunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dysfunction
  1. disease
  2. disorder
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
Noun
  • Aaronson pointed to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy, a measure of disorder, tends to increase over time.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Buprenorphine, semisynthetic opioid medication used primarily to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and to manage severe chronic pain.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disorder

Browse Nearby Words

dysentery
dysfunction
dyspepsia
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dysfunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dysfunction. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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