dysfunctional
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
describes a group of people, like a family or a team, who do not work well together and often have many problems or arguments.
characterised by abnormal or unhealthy interpersonal behaviour within a social group, particularly a family unit, that prevents productive or harmonious functioning.
Simple“The characters in the movie belong to a very dysfunctional family that cannot stop arguing.”
In context“Psychologists often examine how growing up in a dysfunctional household affects a person's ability to form stable adult relationships later in life.”
Teacher's tipWhile this can be a technical term in psychology, it is very common in everyday English to describe any group that is messy or full of conflict.
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
not working the way it is supposed to work.
failing to perform the required or expected operation; used for mechanical, biological, or administrative systems.
Simple“The city's dysfunctional public transport system makes it very difficult for people to get to work on time.”
In context“The audit revealed a dysfunctional procurement process that allowed costs to spiral out of control without any oversight from the board.”
“What also works is replacing old, dysfunctional relationships with newer, healthier community bonds.”
From dysfunction + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.