dysfunction

A failure to function in an expected or complete manner. Usually refers to a disorder in a bodily organ (e.g. erectile dysfunction), a mental disorder, or the improper behavior of a social group.

Noun

  1. A failure to function in an expected or complete manner. Usually refers to a disorder in a bodily organ (e.g. erectile dysfunction), a mental disorder, or the improper behavior of a social group.
    • Cerebellar dysfunction is characterized by truncal ataxia, a broad-based stance, dysmetria in which the limbs either overstep (hypermetria) or understep (hypometria), and tremor that is most pronounced when the animal...
    • We next consider the cognification of interpersonal dysfunctions in treating clinical depression. - 2005, Dwight Evans, Dennis S. Charney, Lydia Lewis, The Physician’s Guide to Depression and Bipolar Disorders, →ISBN,...

    Antonyms: eufunction function

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Hellenic *dus- Ancient Greek δῠσ- (dŭs-)der. New Latin dys-der. English dys- Old French fonction Middle French functionbor. English function English dysfunction From dys- + function.

Forms

dysfunctions disfunction

Derived

cognitive dysfunction syndrome dysfunctional dysfunctionally Eustachian tube dysfunction immunodysfunction minimal brain dysfunction neurodysfunction post-retinoid sexual dysfunction post-SSRI sexual dysfunction sexual dysfunction temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Verb

  1. To fail to function correctly; to malfunction.

Forms

dysfunctions dysfunctioning dysfunctioned disfunction