dysfunction

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən/ UK /dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
abnormal or impaired functioning of a system, organ, or relationship

Years of dysfunction within the team finally led to its collapse.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · abnormal or impaired... malfunction impairment disorder breakdown abnormality failure

Opposites

function health normality

Word family

Derived forms dysfunctional

Related forms function malfunction

Etymology

A 20th-century coinage from Greek prefix 'dys-' ('bad, impaired') + 'function', from Latin 'functio' ('performance'), from 'fungi' ('to perform').

dys- Ancient Greek functio Latin fungi Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# dysfunction

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən/

## Meanings
1. abnormal or impaired functioning of a system, organ, or relationship

## Examples
- Years of dysfunction within the team finally led to its collapse.

## Synonyms
- malfunction
- impairment
- disorder
- breakdown
- abnormality
- failure

## Antonyms
- function
- health
- normality

## Derived Forms
- dysfunctional

## Related Forms
- function
- malfunction

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dys-
- Root: functio
- Root: fungi
- Affix: dys- - bad

## Etymology
A 20th-century coinage from Greek prefix 'dys-' ('bad, impaired') + 'function', from Latin 'functio' ('performance'), from 'fungi' ('to perform').

## AI Etymology
Dysfunction has this etymological history: A 20th-century coinage from Greek prefix 'dys-' ('bad, impaired') + 'function', from Latin 'functio' ('performance'), from 'fungi' ('to perform'). The etymological trail includes Ancient Greek dys-, Latin functio, and Latin fungi. As a noun, dysfunction names abnormal or impaired functioning of a system, organ, or relationship. The same family is visible in derived forms such as dysfunctional and related forms such as function and malfunction. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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