dysfunctional
adjective
dys·func·tion·al
(ˌ)dis-ˈfəŋ(k)-sh(ə-)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
Paul C. LightThis 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
Tom EwingThis led to a dysfunctional credit market that in important respects soon turned non-functional.—Warren E. Buffett
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
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
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Donovan installed an up-tempo offense in 2024-25 after trading DeRozan and Caruso, but the Bulls were never more than a play-in contender, and dealt LaVine in February to end that long and dysfunctional chapter.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Linda is a ball of nervous energy, a blue-collar divorcée, and a woman striving to turn her dysfunctional children into a model family for their New Jersey town.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
And while Italy is often derided for its dysfunctional government and bureaucratic inertia, the cultural and economic split between the north and south remains stark, with the province of Lombardy alone (of which Milan is the capital) contributing roughly a fifth of the country’s GDP.
—Laura May Todd, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
An important corollary to this is that the cognitive processes that became dysfunctional in these individuals are normally crucial to maintaining our social identity — our relationships to other people — as well as our personal identity.
—Masud Husain, Big Think, 14 Apr. 2026
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Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Linda is a ball of nervous energy, a blue-collar divorcée, and a woman striving to turn her dysfunctional children into a model family for their New Jersey town.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
And while Italy is often derided for its dysfunctional government and bureaucratic inertia, the cultural and economic split between the north and south remains stark, with the province of Lombardy alone (of which Milan is the capital) contributing roughly a fifth of the country’s GDP.
—Laura May Todd, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
An important corollary to this is that the cognitive processes that became dysfunctional in these individuals are normally crucial to maintaining our social identity — our relationships to other people — as well as our personal identity.
—Masud Husain, Big Think, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dysfunctional
Cite this Entry
“Dysfunctional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dysfunctional. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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