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

This 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

This led to a dysfunctional credit market that in important respects soon turned non-functional.

—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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

When professionals get stuck in dysfunctional positions, their career growth also stalls significantly. —Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Last seen holding the seams of her dysfunctional family together, and leaving her ex-boyfriend to board a plane to Melbourne by himself, Shiv now meets Daryl, a handsome and mysterious Australian stranger. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 June 2025

Which came from that kid in a dysfunctional family trying to make everybody happy by dancing around. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025

With recovery housing virtually non-existent and the state producing only 40% of the housing needed each year, those cleared from encampments are funneled into dysfunctional shelters while waiting indefinitely for permanent units that offer no better path to recovery. —Michele Steeb, Oc Register, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

dysfunction + -al entry 1, after functional

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dysfunctional

• bifunctional
• nonfunctional
• functional
• junctional