dysfunctional

adjective

dys·​func·​tion·​al (ˌ)dis-ˈfəŋ(k)-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

: characterized by or exhibiting dysfunction: such as

a

: not functioning properly : marked by impaired or abnormal functioning

With 180,000 employees and a $43 billion budget, the department is a collage of 22 distinct government agencies drawn from different corners of the federal organization chart and glued together into a single, largely dysfunctional unit.

—Paul C. Light

This form of anemia develops because the bone marrow is not producing new cells rapidly enough to replace old cells that have become destroyed or otherwise dysfunctional.

—Tom Ewing

This led to a dysfunctional credit market that in important respects soon turned non-functional.

—Warren E. Buffett

b

: characterized by abnormal or unhealthy interpersonal behavior or interaction

dysfunctional relationships

As with any dysfunctional family, it may take an outsider to get a clear picture of the situation.

—Chris 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

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, prematurely concluding that AI can’t help may unnecessarily contribute to preserving a dysfunctional system that leaves far too many patients seeing doctors as robotic. —Evan Selinger and Thomas Carroll, STAT, 15 Aug. 2024

Many are guided by global smuggling networks that seek to exploit the dysfunctional U.S. asylum system. —Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 29 July 2024

As Greek mythology gets a modern twist, an increasingly paranoid Goldblum must contend with mortals with powers to bring him down, and a dysfunctional family with powerful siblings scheming and failing among one another in the trailer that dropped on Monday. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Aug. 2024

The survey, which gathered responses from 153 CHROs, covered a wide breadth of topics but revealed one common thread: CHROs are afraid of political conflict creating a dysfunctional workplace. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

dysfunction + -al entry 1, after functional

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above