disorder

/dɪˈsɔrdər/

/dɪsˈɔdə/

Other forms: disorders; disordered; disordering

Disorder is a lack of order — in other words, chaos, clutter, and general disarray.

If everyone in your class is yelling and throwing things, there's no order: there's disorder. If all the library books are out of order and thrown sloppily on the shelf, that's disorder, too. If you mess or mix something up, you're disordering it. Many medical conditions and diseases are also called disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder. Whenever there's disorder, something is wrong or out of whack.

Definitions of disorder

1. noun

   a condition in which things are not in their expected places
   “the files are in complete disorder”

   synonyms: disorderliness

   antonyms:

   order

   a condition of regular or proper arrangement

   types:

   shambles

   a condition of great disorder

   untidiness

   the condition of being untidy

   mess, messiness, muss, mussiness

   a state of confusion and disorderliness

   disarrangement, disorganisation, disorganization

   a condition in which an orderly system has been disrupted

   clutter, fuddle, jumble, mare's nest, muddle, smother, welter

   a confused multitude of things

   sloppiness, slovenliness, unkemptness

   a lack of order and tidiness; not cared for

   rummage

   a jumble of things to be given away

   type of:

   condition, status

   a state at a particular time
2. noun

   a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning
   “the doctor prescribed some medicine for the disorder”

   synonyms: upset

   types:

   immunological disorder

   a disorder of the immune system

   functional disorder

   disorder showing symptoms for which no physiological or anatomical cause can be identified

   organic disorder

   disorder caused by a detectable physiological or structural change in an organ

   abocclusion

   the condition in which the upper teeth do not touch the lower teeth when biting

   abruptio placentae

   a disorder of pregnancy in which the placenta prematurely separates from the wall of the uterus

   achlorhydria

   an abnormal deficiency or absence of free hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice; often associated with severe anemias and cancer of the stomach

   acholia, cholestasis

   a condition in which little or no bile is secreted or the flow of bile into the digestive tract is obstructed

   achylia, achylia gastrica

   absence of gastric juices (partial or complete)

   acute brain disorder, acute organic brain syndrome

   any disorder (as sudden confusion or disorientation) in an otherwise normal person that is due to reversible (temporary) impairment of brain tissues (as by head injuries or drugs or infection)

   ailment, complaint, ill

   an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

   eating disorder

   a disorder of the normal eating routine

   bladder disorder

   a disorder of the urinary bladder

   cardiovascular disease

   a disease of the heart or blood vessels

   celiac disease

   a disorder in children and adults; inability to tolerate wheat protein (gluten); symptoms include foul-smelling diarrhea and emaciation; often accompanied by lactose intolerance

   cheilosis, perleche

   a disorder of the lips marked by scaling and fissures at the corners of the mouth; caused by a deficiency of riboflavin

   choking

   a condition caused by blocking the airways to the lungs (as with food or swelling of the larynx)

   colpoxerosis

   a condition in which the vagina is unusually dry

   degenerative disorder

   condition leading to progressive loss of function

   dysaphia

   a disorder in the sense of touch

   dysosmia, olfactory impairment, parosamia

   a disorder in the sense of smell

   dysphagia

   condition in which swallowing is difficult or painful

   dysuria

   painful or difficult urination

   failure

   loss of ability to function normally

   fantods

   an ill-defined state of irritability and distress

   adenosis, gland disease, glandular disease, glandular disorder

   a disorder of the glands of the body

   hyperactivity

   a condition characterized by excessive restlessness and movement

   impacted tooth, impaction

   a disorder in which a tooth is so crowded in its socket that it cannot erupt normally

   impaction

   a disorder in which feces are impacted in the lower colon

   learning disability, learning disorder

   a disorder found in children of normal intelligence who have difficulties in learning specific skills

   malocclusion

   (dentistry) a condition in which the opposing teeth do not mesh normally

   idiopathic disease, idiopathic disorder, idiopathy

   any disease arising from internal dysfunctions of unknown cause

   disturbance, folie, mental disorder, mental disturbance, psychological disorder

   (psychiatry) a psychological disorder of thought or emotion; a more neutral term than mental illness

   metabolic disorder

   a disorder or defect of metabolism

   nervous disorder, neurological disease, neurological disorder

   a disorder of the nervous system

   hydrocele

   disorder in which serous fluid accumulates in a body sac (especially in the scrotum)

   sleep disorder

   a disturbance of the normal sleep pattern

   strangulation

   the condition of having respiration stopped by compression of the air passage

   haematocolpometra, hematocolpometra

   accumulation of blood in the vagina and uterus

   haematocolpos, hematocolpos

   accumulation of menstrual blood in the vagina (usually due to an imperforate hymen)

   defect of speech, speech defect, speech disorder

   a disorder of oral speech

   psilosis, sprue, tropical sprue

   a chronic disorder that occurs in tropical and non-tropical forms and in both children and adults; nutrients are not absorbed; symptoms include foul-smelling diarrhea and emaciation

   immunodeficiency

   immunological disorder in which some part of the body's immune system is inadequate and resistance to infectious diseases is reduced

   immunosuppression

   lowering the body's normal immune response to invasion by foreign substances; can be deliberate (as in lowering the immune response to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ) or incidental (as a side effect of radiotherapy or chemotherapy for cancer)

   hypersomnia

   an inability to stay awake

   insomnia

   an inability to sleep; chronic sleeplessness

   pavor nocturnus, sleep terror disorder

   a disorder of sleep characterized by a dream of terrifying dimensions far worse than a typical nightmare; they occur during NREM sleep

   anorexia

   a prolonged disorder of eating due to loss of appetite

   pica

   an eating disorder, frequent in children, in which non-nutritional objects are eaten persistently

   binge-purge syndrome, binge-vomit syndrome, bulima nervosa, bulimarexia, bulimia, bulimia nervosa

   a disorder of eating in which the person alternates between strong craving for food and aversion to food; characterized by excessive eating followed by periods of fasting or self-induced vomiting

   binge-eating syndrome

   a disorder of eating in which people go on eating binges and then feel guilt and depression and self-condemnation

   demyelination

   loss of the myelin covering of some nerve fibers resulting in their impaired function

   dystrophy

   any degenerative disorder resulting from inadequate or faulty nutrition

   overbite

   (dentistry) malocclusion in which the upper teeth extend abnormally far over the lower teeth

   hyperparathyroidism

   excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone resulting in abnormally high levels of calcium in the blood; can affect many systems of the body (especially causing bone resorption and osteoporosis)

   hypoparathyroidism

   inadequate secretion of parathyroid hormone resulting in abnormally low levels of calcium in the blood

   hyperpituitarism

   excessive activity of the pituitary gland (especially overactivity of the anterior lobe which leads to excess secretion of growth hormone)

   Asperger's syndrome

   a psychiatric disorder usually noted during early school years; characterized by impaired social relations and by repetitive patterns of behavior

   alcaptonuria, alkaptonuria

   a rare recessive metabolic anomaly marked by ochronosis and the presence of alkapton in the urine

   brain damage

   injury to the brain that impairs its functions (especially permanently); can be caused by trauma to the head, infection, hemorrhage, inadequate oxygen, genetic abnormality, etc.

   brain disease, brain disorder, encephalopathy

   any disorder or disease of the brain

   ataxia, ataxy, dyssynergia, motor ataxia

   inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements; unsteady movements and staggering gait

   atopognosia, atopognosis

   absence or loss of topognosia; inability to locate correctly a point of touch

   dyskinesia

   abnormality in performing voluntary muscle movements

   MS, disseminated multiple sclerosis, disseminated sclerosis, multiple sclerosis

   a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers

   Parkinson's, Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's syndrome, Parkinsonism, paralysis agitans, shaking palsy

   a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterized by tremor and impaired muscular coordination

   chorea

   any of several degenerative nervous disorders characterized by spasmodic movements of the body and limbs

   flaccid paralysis

   weakness or loss of muscle tone resulting from injury or disease of the nerves innervating the muscles

   dyscalculia

   impaired ability to learn grade-appropriate mathematics

   dysgraphia

   impaired ability to learn to write

   dyslexia

   impaired ability to learn to read

   anarthria

   partial or total loss of articulate speech resulting from lesions of the central nervous system

   cardiopathy, heart disease

   a disease of the heart

   high blood pressure, hypertension

   a common disorder in which blood pressure remains abnormally high (a reading of 140/90 mm Hg or greater)

   hypotension

   abnormally low blood pressure

   ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

   thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord; results in progressive muscle atrophy that starts in the limbs

   aneurism, aneurysm

   a cardiovascular disease characterized by a saclike widening of an artery resulting from weakening of the artery wall

   athetosis

   a continuous succession of slow, writhing, involuntary movements of the hands and feet and other body parts

   kuru

   a progressive disease of the central nervous system marked by increasing lack of coordination and advancing to paralysis and death within a year of the appearance of symptoms; thought to have been transmitted by cannibalistic consumption of diseased brain tissue since the disease virtually disappeared when cannibalism was abandoned

   nerve compression

   harmful pressure on a nerve (especially in nerves that pass over rigid prominences); causes nerve damage and muscle weakness

   circulatory failure

   failure of the cardiovascular system to supply adequate amounts of blood to body tissues

   coronary failure, heart failure

   inability of the heart to pump enough blood to sustain normal bodily functions

   kidney failure, renal failure

   inability of the kidneys to excrete wastes and to help maintain the electrolyte balance

   Addison's disease, Addison's syndrome, hypoadrenalism, hypoadrenocorticism

   a glandular disorder caused by failure of function of the cortex of the adrenal gland and marked by anemia and prostration with brownish skin

   adenopathy

   a glandular disease or enlargement of glandular tissue (especially of the lymph glands)

   aldosteronism, hyperaldosteronism

   a condition caused by overproduction of aldosterone

   Cushing's disease, hyperadrenalism

   a glandular disorder caused by excessive ACTH resulting in greater than normal functioning of the adrenal gland; characterized by obesity

   Cushing's syndrome, hyperadrenocorticism

   a glandular disorder caused by excessive cortisol

   hyperthyroidism, thyrotoxicosis

   an overactive thyroid gland; pathologically excessive production of thyroid hormones or the condition resulting from excessive production of thyroid hormones

   hypothyroidism

   an underactive thyroid gland; a glandular disorder resulting from insufficient production of thyroid hormones

   anergy

   reduction or lack of an immune response to a specific antigen

   inborn error of metabolism

   any of a number of diseases in which an inherited defect (usually a missing or inadequate enzyme) results in an abnormality of metabolism

   lipidosis

   a disorder of lipid metabolism; abnormal levels of certain fats accumulate in the body

   lysine intolerance

   a disorder in which a lack of certain enzymes makes it impossible to digest the amino acid lysine

   pip

   a minor nonspecific ailment

   kinetosis, motion sickness

   the state of being dizzy or nauseated because of the motions that occur while traveling in or on a moving vehicle

   hyperlipoproteinemia

   any of various disorders of lipoprotein and cholesterol metabolism that result in high levels of lipoprotein and cholesterol in the circulating blood

   hypolipoproteinemia

   any of various disorders of lipoprotein and cholesterol metabolism that result in low levels of lipoprotein and cholesterol in the circulating blood

   sleep apnea

   an interruption in breathing that occurs during rest that leads to oxygen deprevation

   anxiety disorder

   a cover term for a variety of mental disorders in which severe anxiety is a salient symptom

   psychosomatic disorder

   a mental disorder that causes somatic symptoms

   aberration

   a disorder in one's mental state

   conversion disorder, conversion hysteria, conversion reaction

   a mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause)

   delirium

   a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion often accompanied by hallucinations

   delusional disorder

   any mental disorder in which delusions play a significant role

   encopresis

   involuntary defecation not attributable to physical defects or illness

   folie a deux

   the simultaneous occurrence of symptoms of a mental disorder (as delusions) in two persons who are closely related (as siblings or man and wife)

   personality disorder

   inflexible and maladaptive patterns of behavior

   affective disorder, emotional disorder, emotional disturbance, major affective disorder

   any mental disorder not caused by detectable organic abnormalities of the brain and in which a major disturbance of emotions is predominant

   schizothymia

   resembling schizophrenia but remaining within the bounds of normality

   neurosis, neuroticism, psychoneurosis

   a mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known neurological or organic dysfunction

   aphonia, voicelessness

   a disorder of the vocal organs that results in the loss of voice

   flaccid bladder

   a urinary bladder disorder resulting from interruption of the reflex arc normally associated with voiding urine; absence of bladder sensation and over-filling of the bladder and inability to urinate voluntarily

   neurogenic bladder

   a urinary bladder disorder caused by a lesion in the nervous system

   spastic bladder

   a urinary bladder disorder resulting from spinal cord lesion or multiple sclerosis or trauma; absence of bladder sensation and incontinence and interrupted voiding of urine

   cataphasia

   a speech disorder in which the same word is repeated several times in succession

   dysarthria

   impaired articulatory ability resulting from defects in the peripheral motor nerves or in the speech musculature

   dyslogia

   impaired ability to express ideas verbally; usually resulting from difficulties of reasoning (as in feeblemindedness or certain psychoses)

   dysphonia

   speech disorder attributable to a disorder of phonation

   lallation

   defective articulation of the `l' phoneme or the phoneme `r' is pronounced as `l'

   lambdacism

   speech defect involving excessive use or unusual pronunciation of the phoneme `l'

   lisp

   a speech defect that involves pronouncing `s' like voiceless `th' and `z' like voiced `th'

   stammer, stutter

   a speech disorder involving hesitations and involuntary repetitions of certain sounds

   dissociative disorder

   dissociation so severe that the usually integrated functions of consciousness and perception of self break down

   type of:

   physical condition, physiological condition, physiological state

   the condition or state of the body or bodily functions
3. noun

   a disturbance of the peace or of public order
   antonyms:

   order

   established customary state (especially of society)

   types:

   anarchy, lawlessness

   a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)

   instability

   an unstable order

   confusion

   disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably

   riot, rioting

   a state of disorder involving group violence

   disorderliness, roughness, rowdiness, rowdyism

   rowdy behavior

   commotion, disruption, disturbance, flutter, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, hurly burly, kerfuffle, to-do

   a disorderly outburst or tumult

   discord, strife

   lack of agreement or harmony

   Sturm und Drang, turbulence, upheaval

   a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)

   nihilism

   complete denial of all established authority and institutions

   demoralisation, demoralization

   a state of disorder and confusion

   bluster

   noisy confusion and turbulence

   bedlam, chaos, pandemonium, tohubohu, topsy-turvydom, topsy-turvyness

   a state of extreme confusion and disorder

   hugger-mugger

   a state of confusion

   schemozzle, shemozzle

   (Yiddish) a confused situation or affair; a mess

   convulsion, turmoil, upheaval

   a violent disturbance

   earthquake

   a disturbance that is extremely disruptive

   incident

   a public disturbance

   splash, stir

   a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event

   maelstrom, storm, tempest

   a violent commotion or disturbance

   storm center, storm centre

   a center of trouble or disturbance

   garboil, tumult, tumultuousness, uproar, zoo

   a state of commotion and noise and confusion

   agitation, ferment, fermentation, tempestuousness, unrest

   a state of agitation or turbulent change or development

   roller coaster

   anything characterized by abrupt and extreme changes (especially up and down)

   violence

   a turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc.

   type of:

   state

   the way something is with respect to its main attributes
4. verb

   bring disorder to
   synonyms: disarray

   antonyms:

   order

   bring order to or into

   types:

   mess, mess up

   make a mess of or create disorder in

   derange, perturb, throw out of kilter

   throw into great confusion or disorder

   disarrange

   disturb the arrangement of

   jumble, scramble, throw together

   bring into random order

   randomise, randomize

   arrange in random order

   tumble

   throw together in a confused mass

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
5. verb

   disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed
   synonyms: cark, disquiet, distract, perturb, trouble, unhinge

   types:

   vex, worry

   disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress

   misgive

   suggest fear or doubt

   eat, eat on

   worry or cause anxiety in a persistent way

   nag

   worry persistently

   type of:

   disturb, trouble, upset

   move deeply