dysfunctional
adjective
Paul C. LightTom EwingWarren E. BuffettChris Mooney
Did you know?
Dysfunctional and dysfunction have been used for almost a hundred years, often in medical writing ("brain dysfunction", "a dysfunctional liver") but also by social scientists ("a dysfunctional city council", "diplomatic dysfunction"). But they only really entered the general vocabulary in the 1980s, when therapists and talk-show hosts began talking about dysfunctional families. The signs of family dysfunction turned out to be numerous, and it soon began to seem as if pretty much all our families could be called dysfunctional.
Examples of dysfunctional in a Sentence
Lucy Ford, Time, 19 May 2025
The theory goes that some mitochondria fuse to improve the production of ATP, while others break apart to get rid of dysfunctional parts.
—Elizabeth Landau, Quanta Magazine, 19 May 2025
Written by Anderson and his longtime collaborator Roman Coppola, The Phoenician Scheme is a return to form to the filmmaker’s offbeat dysfunctional family comedies, i.e. Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 May 2025
It's been two decades since fans were first introduced to Ray Barone (Ray Romano) and his dysfunctional family.
—Kate Hogan, People.com, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dysfunctional
Cite this Entry
“Dysfunctional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dysfunctional. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
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