Meaning & use
dysfunction
Abnormal, impaired, or unhealthy functioning of a system, organ, or relationship.
See it in a sentence
Years of poor communication led to serious dysfunction within the marketing department.
The doctor ran tests to check for any dysfunction in his kidneys.
A note on using this word
Common in both medical contexts (organ dysfunction) and social ones (family dysfunction).
Words with a similar meaning
malfunctionimpairment
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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