dysfunction

noun

dys·​func·​tion (ˌ)dis-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən 

variants or less commonly disfunction

1

: impaired or abnormal functioning

gastrointestinal dysfunction

2

: abnormal or unhealthy interpersonal behavior or interaction within a group

family dysfunction

Examples of dysfunction in a Sentence

The disease causes gastrointestinal dysfunctions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Oxidative stress and inflammation are thought to contribute to damage and dysfunction in blood vessel and nervous system cells, which may play a role in the development of high blood pressure. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 20 Apr. 2026

The Week The dysfunction track, crucially, writes itself. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026

Its formal and ontological affinities with dysfunction, fragmentation, and violence would seem to render that debt proverbial to the point of cliché. —Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026

According to Elliot Payne, the Minneapolis City Council president, the dysfunction only looks bad because Minneapolis is emerging from an unprecedented united front against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Operation Metro Surge. —Esme Murphy, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

dys- + function entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dysfunction

• erectile dysfunction
• minimal brain dysfunction

Rhymes for dysfunction

• adjunction
• compunction
• conjunction
• disjunction
• injunction
• inunction
• malfunction
• eigenfunction
• multifunction
• function
• junction
• unction

Kids Definition

dysfunction

noun

dys·​func·​tion dis-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən 

: impaired or abnormal functioning

liver dysfunction

dysfunctional

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective

Medical Definition

dysfunction

noun

dys·​func·​tion

variants also disfunction

(ˈ)dis-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən 

: impaired or abnormal functioning (as of an organ of the body)

dysfunctional

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective

dysfunctioning

-shə-niŋ 

noun