# disconnected

/ˌdɪskəˈnɛktɪd/ (US) · /dˌɪskənˈɛktɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/disconnected
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. not physically joined

adjective · CEFR B1

not joined or linked to something else, like a wire or a pipe.

For teachers: having a physical or electronic link severed or removed.

- The technician found a disconnected cable behind the computer.
- The investigation revealed that a disconnected sensor had prevented the alarm from sounding during the initial leak.

### 2. emotionally separate

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling like you do not belong or cannot relate to the people around you.

For teachers: experiencing a lack of empathy, association, or emotional rapport with others or one's environment.

- He felt disconnected from his old friends after living abroad for so long.
- Modern urban living can often leave people feeling disconnected from their local communities despite the high population density.

### 3. illogical or disjointed

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

describing ideas or speech that do not follow a clear order.

For teachers: lacking logical sequence or coherence; disjointed in thought or presentation.

- The witness gave a disconnected account of the accident because she was in shock.
- The essay was criticized for its disconnected arguments, which failed to build toward a convincing conclusion.

### 4. mathematical space

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

a space that can be split into two separate parts.

For teachers: describing a topological space that can be partitioned into two or more disjoint non-empty open sets.

- The graph is disconnected because there is no path between these two points.
- In topology, a space is considered disconnected if it is the union of two disjoint non-empty open sets.

## Examples

- My phone is disconnected from the internet.
- The remote office felt disconnected from the main team during the merger.
- The essay's conclusion seemed disconnected from its arguments, leaving the reader without a clear sense of resolution.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.