oppositional defiant disorder

noun

|Updated on: 27 Apr 2018

Definition of oppositional defiant disorder

: a disruptive behavior pattern of childhood and adolescence characterized by defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior especially toward adults in positions of authority —abbreviation ODD

Recent Examples of oppositional defiant disorder from the Web

Zachary Cruz was described as having oppositional defiant disorder.

— brittany wallman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Broken relationship haunts brothers Nikolas and Zachary Cruz," 16 Apr. 2018
Her son, now 6, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and oppositional defiant disorders.

— lewis kamb, The Seattle Times, "‘My kids are happy again’: With Childhaven’s help, family escapes violent marriage," 16 Dec. 2017
Medical experts testified in the case that all the Finn children had diagnoses ranging from oppositional defiant disorder to attachment disorder to attention deficit disorder.

— lee rood, USA TODAY, "Mom convicted of murder in teen daughter's starvation death," 14 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oppositional defiant disorder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of oppositional defiant disorder

1988

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

oppositional defiant disorder

noun op·po·si·tion·al de·fi·ant disorder \ ˌäp-ə-ˈzish-nəl-di-ˈfī-ənt-, -ən-ᵊl- \

medical Definition of oppositional defiant disorder

: a disruptive behavior pattern of childhood and adolescence characterized by defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior especially toward adults in positions of authority —abbreviation ODD