Meaning & use
dysfunctional
Last updated
Not operating normally or properly; failing to function in a healthy way, especially in relationships or systems.
See it in a sentence
The committee became so dysfunctional that no decisions were made for months.
She grew up in a dysfunctional family full of conflict.
A note on using this word
Dysfunctional is common in psychology and everyday speech to describe relationships, families, or organizations that fail to work well together.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
functionalhealthy
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dysfunctional”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.