disjunction

noun

dis·​junc·​tion dis-ˈjəŋ(k)-shən 

1

: a sharp cleavage : disunion, separation

the disjunction between theory and practice

2

: a compound sentence in logic formed by joining two simple statements by or:

a

: inclusive disjunction

b

: exclusive disjunction

Did you know?

Disjunction vs Disconnect

A disjunction may be a mere lack of connection between two things, or a large gulf. There's often a huge disjunction between what people expect from computers and what they know about them, and the disjunction between a star's public image and her actual character may be just as big. We may speak of the disjunction between science and morality, between doing and telling, or between knowing and explaining. In recent years, disjunction seem to have been losing out to a newer synonym, the noun disconnect.

Examples of disjunction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And by millions of viewers: Note the disjunction between the viewers who watched the premier, and those who watched the finale, on the first season. —Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2019

Sherman sees the disjunctions in her new work’s faces almost as an exercise in cubism. —Nancy Princenthal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024

Why is there such a disjunction between the genetic parity in terms of ancestry and cultural skew toward their Iberian forebears? —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2011

In context, this disjunction seemed like a feature—an echo of the subject matter—rather than like a malfunction. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023

But, to Descartes, its vividness seemed to suggest a clear disjunction between the body and the mind: in dreams the body lies dormant while the mind runs free. —Amanda Gefter, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2023

Surrounded by this jarring disjunction between high-minded science, clinical urgency, and human suffering, I was reminded of my year as a medical intern, when a different terrifying infection was sweeping the country. —George Makari, The New Yorker, 13 July 2023

When the Cold War ended, therefore, the disjunction between Americans’ actual role and Americans’ self-perception became untenable. —Robert Kagan, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021

This disjunction isn’t Alexander’s fault, or Schmidt’s. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing disjunction

• exclusive disjunction
• inclusive disjunction

Medical Definition

disjunction

noun

dis·​junc·​tion dis-ˈjəŋ(k)-shən 

: the separation of chromosomes or chromatids during anaphase of mitosis or meiosis