disorder

The word “disorder” means a state of confusion or lack of proper organization. In plain terms, a mess or lack of organization, or, in medicine, a health condition that disrupts normal functioning.

“Disorder” is pronounced dihs-AW-duh (/dɪsˈɔɹdɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “disorder” used in a sentence: “The papers on his desk were in complete disorder.”

Words with a similar meaning to “disorder” include entropy, bedlam, car crash, confusion, disarray and disorganization.

The opposite of “disorder” — its antonyms — is order.

Depending on how it is used, “disorder” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “disorder” comes from Middle French. From Middle French desordre, from dis- + order.

“Disorder” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

A disorder is a disruption of the normal physical or mental function of the body, while a disease usually refers to a condition with a more clearly identifiable cause or process. In medicine the terms overlap, but 'disorder' is often preferred when the underlying cause is unclear or the condition is a pattern of symptoms.

A syndrome is a group of symptoms and signs that regularly occur together, whereas a disorder is a condition that disrupts normal function and may or may not have a single known cause. Some conditions are called syndromes because doctors recognise the pattern before its cause is fully understood.

'Disorder' describes a state of confusion or lack of proper organisation and can be mild or partial, such as a room in disorder. 'Chaos' suggests a more extreme and complete state of confusion in which little or no order remains.

'Disorder' can be either countable or uncountable depending on the meaning. In the sense of confusion it is usually uncountable, as in 'public disorder,' but in the medical sense it is countable, as in 'a sleep disorder' or 'several disorders.'