disintegration
noun
dis·in·te·gra·tion
(ˌ)dis-ˌin-tə-ˈgrā-shən 
plural disintegrations
: the act or process of disintegrating or the state of being disintegrated: such as
a
: the breaking down of something into small particles or into its constituent elements
Some glaciers have been destabilized by warmer ocean waters. Scientists fear that parts of the ice sheet may be in the early stages of an unstoppable disintegration.—
Justin Gillis
Justin GillisBut miraculously, officials say, the countless bits of debris from the disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia injured not a soul on the ground.—The New York Times
The New York Times
b
: loss of unity or integrity by or as if by breaking into parts
Declining sales led to the company's gradual disintegration and ultimate demise.
What's more, the fear of many conservatives that we might be at the mercy of unstoppable forces of social disintegration turned out to be wrong.—William Kristol
William KristolOver the long run, however, there is no substitute for addressing the root causes of crime—bad education and lack of job opportunities and the disintegration of families.—Daniel D. Polsby
Daniel D. PolsbyExamples of disintegration in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Following World War I and the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which later became Yugoslavia, both laid claim to the city of Fiume.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Nov. 2025
Moscow has not conducted a full nuclear warhead test since the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Losing sight of this has meant that faculty haven’t been using all of the tools at their disposal to fight the disintegration of tenure-stream employment.
—Time, 1 Oct. 2025
For director and co-writer Justin Tipping, the key to expressing Cameron’s mental and physical disintegration was finding a visual language that combined two very different worlds.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disintegration
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.
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Nov. 2025
Moscow has not conducted a full nuclear warhead test since the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Losing sight of this has meant that faculty haven’t been using all of the tools at their disposal to fight the disintegration of tenure-stream employment.
—Time, 1 Oct. 2025
For director and co-writer Justin Tipping, the key to expressing Cameron’s mental and physical disintegration was finding a visual language that combined two very different worlds.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disintegration
Cite this Entry
“Disintegration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disintegration. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share