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
In addition to running the Globe’s presidential campaign coverage in 2012 and 2016, Chris wrote stand-out stories about the risks facing patients from a rush to embrace electronic health records and the utter dysfunction at the Federal Election Commission.
—
Washpostpr, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
Now the hard part begins April 29, 2024 This issue received extra attention after the death of studio grip Rico Priem, who suffered cardiac dysfunction while driving home at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday after working back-to-back,14-hour overnight shifts.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
Emory researchers were already conducting a clinical trial of atomoxetine as an Alzheimer’s treatment, so the protein researchers piggybacked on the trial to test whether the drug would impact glycolysis dysfunction.
—Rohan Rajeev, STAT, 28 June 2024
Among East Asians, Koreans have the highest prevalence of the mutation, but Chinese, Vietnamese and others also tend to have the dysfunction of the gene.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dysfunction 
Washpostpr, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
Now the hard part begins April 29, 2024 This issue received extra attention after the death of studio grip Rico Priem, who suffered cardiac dysfunction while driving home at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday after working back-to-back,14-hour overnight shifts.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
Emory researchers were already conducting a clinical trial of atomoxetine as an Alzheimer’s treatment, so the protein researchers piggybacked on the trial to test whether the drug would impact glycolysis dysfunction.
—Rohan Rajeev, STAT, 28 June 2024
Among East Asians, Koreans have the highest prevalence of the mutation, but Chinese, Vietnamese and others also tend to have the dysfunction of the gene.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dysfunction
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dysfunction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Dysfunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dysfunction. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dysfunction
noun
dys·func·tion
dis-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən
: impaired or abnormal functioning
liver dysfunction
Medical Definition
dysfunction
noun
dys·func·tion
variants
also disfunction
: impaired or abnormal functioning (as of an organ of the body) see minimal brain dysfunction
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