attention deficit disorder

noun

: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

—abbreviation ADD

Examples of attention deficit disorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adderall is a prescribed stimulant generally used to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD), though some people take it recreationally. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 30 May 2025

Elsewhere in the interview, Middleton spoke about being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and clinical depression in late 2017 after having suicidal thoughts. —Becca Longmire, People.com, 12 May 2025

Even in small amounts, lead can damage brain development for children — lowering IQ and increasing the chance of developing attention deficit disorder — and poses risk to adults too, especially those who are pregnant. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025

The behaviors listed above are symptomatic of an attention deficit disorder (ADD) syndrome that manifests itself daily in the workplace. —Mark Settle, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for attention deficit disorder

• boarder
• border
• corder
• order
• warder
• camcorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

Kids Definition

attention deficit disorder

noun

: a condition that is characterized by an inability to maintain attention or by excessively active and impulsive behavior or by a combination of both and that interferes with one's ability to function in school, home, work, or with others

Medical Definition

attention deficit disorder

noun

: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

In the early 1980s, the third DSM added a condition it called "attention deficit disorder", listing two types: attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity … and attention deficit disorder as the subtype without the hyperactivity. However, seven years later, a revised DSM (DSM-III-R) replaced ADD (and its two sub-types) with ADHD …

—Kathy Gibbs, Griffith University

—abbreviation ADD