disorder

English

Alternative forms

• disordre (obsolete)

Etymology

From dis- +‎ order. Middle English disordeine, from Old French desordainer, from Medieval Latin disordinare.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈɔːdə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈɔːɹdɚ/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /dɪzˈɔːɹdəɹ/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)də(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: dis‧or‧der

Noun

disorder (countable and uncountable, plural disorders)

1. Absence of order; state of not being arranged in an orderly manner.

   After playing the children left the room in disorder.

   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     It was a household in permanent and benevolent disorder, pervaded by the gentle thrill of religious persecution.

2. A disturbance of civic peace or of public order.

   The class was thrown into disorder when the teacher left the room

   The army tried to prevent disorder when claims the elections had been rigged grew stronger.

3. (medicine, countable) A physical or mental malfunction.

   Bulimia is an eating disorder.

Synonyms

• (absence of order): chaos, entropy; see also Thesaurus:disorder
• (disturbance of civic peace): See also Thesaurus:riot

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

disorder (third-person singular simple present disorders, present participle disordering, simple past and past participle disordered)

1. (transitive) To throw into a state of disorder.
2. (transitive) To knock out of order or sequence.

Translations

References

Anagrams

• disordre, sordider