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Definition of disorder noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

disorder

noun
 
 
/dɪsˈɔːdə(r)/
 
/dɪsˈɔːrdər/
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  1.  
    [countable, uncountable] (medical) a condition or illness that causes problems with the way part of the body or brain works
    • a blood/bowel disorder
    • He was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
    • This is a rare disorder of the liver.
    • help for people with alcohol use disorder
    see also attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder, eating disorder, multiple personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, seasonal affective disorder, split personality disorder, substance use disorder
    Synonyms diseasediseaseillness ▪ disorder ▪ infection ▪ condition ▪ ailment ▪ bugThese are all words for a medical problem.disease a medical problem affecting humans, animals or plants, often caused by infection:
    • He suffers from a rare blood disease.
    illness a medical problem, or a period of suffering from one:
    • She died after a long illness.
     disease or illness?Disease is used to talk about more severe medical problems, especially specific conditions and those that affect particular organs: Crohn's/​Parkinson's disease • heart/​kidney/​liver disease • heart/​kidney/​liver illness. Illness is used more generally and can refer to both severe and minor medical problems, and problems that affect mental health: a terminal/​life-threatening illness • a mild/​minor illness • mental illness • mental disease. Illness can be used about a period of time: a long/​short illness • a long/​short disease disorder (rather formal) a condition that causes problems with the way part of the body or brain works:
    • a rare disorder of the liver
    A disorder is generally not infectious. Disorder is often used in the names of specific conditions affecting the brain, for example attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. When it is used to talk about physical problems, it is often used with autoimmune, blood, bowel and kidney, and these are commonly serious, severe or rare.    infection an illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus and that affects one part of the body:
    • a throat infection
    condition a medical problem that you have for a long time because it is not possible to cure it:
    • a heart condition
    ailment (rather formal) an illness that is not very serious:
    • childhood ailments
    bug (informal) an infectious illness that is usually fairly mild:
    • a stomach bug
    Patterns
    • to have/​suffer from a(n) disease/​illness/​disorder/​infection/​condition/​ailment/​bug
    • to catch/​contract/​get/​pick up a(n) disease/​illness/​infection/​bug
    Extra Examples
    • Consumption of fatty acids may help prevent the disorder.
    • Her doctor diagnosed a thyroid disorder.
    • She has a rare blood disorder.
    • people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune disorders
    • He is thought to have had a genetic disorder that stopped him from growing when he was young.
    • neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease
    • Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders.
    • The team says alcohol use disorder is a chronic disease.
    • Adolescents with mental disorders are waiting too long to get help.
    • Some people develop psychological disorders as a result of trauma.
    • disorders of the digestive system
    • She's got some kind of bowel disorder.
    Topics Health problemsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • serious
    • severe
    • chronic
    • …
    verb + disorder
    • have
    • suffer from
    • develop
    • …
    disorder + verb
    • affect something
    preposition
    • disorder of
    See full entry
  2.  
    [uncountable] (formal) an untidy state; a lack of order or organization
    • The room was in a state of disorder.
    • in (…) disorder His financial affairs were in complete disorder.
    • Everyone began shouting at once and the meeting broke up in disorder.
    opposite order
    Extra Examples
    • The country was thrown into disorder by the strikes.
    • He died suddenly, leaving his financial affairs in complete disorder.
    • He loves tidying up, making order out of disorder.
    • The gang of men scattered in disorder.
    • The world's currency markets were thrown into disorder.
    • the wild disorder of her red hair
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • complete
    verb + disorder
    • throw something into
    preposition
    • in disorder
    phrases
    • a state of disorder
    See full entry
  3.  
    [uncountable] (formal) violent behaviour of large groups of people
    • an outbreak of rioting and public disorder
    • Twenty people were arrested after a night of civil disorder.
    compare order
    Extra Examples
    • The initiative aims to tackle alcohol-related disorder in towns.
    • The police will not tolerate disorder of any kind on our streets.
    • There have been outbreaks of serious public disorder.
    • Troops were sent in to quell the disorder.
    • new restrictions aimed at preventing social disorder
    • problems of youth disorder in our cities
    • the pressures on police caused by drink-related disorder
    • The food crisis led to outbreaks of rioting and public disorder.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • serious
    • widespread
    • violent
    • …
    … of disorder
    • outbreak
    verb + disorder
    • create
    • lead to
    • quell
    • …
    See full entry
    4. Word Originlate 15th cent. (as a verb): alteration, influenced by order, of earlier disordain, from Old French desordener, ultimately based on Latin ordinare ‘ordain’.
See disorder in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee disorder in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: disorder

Nearby words

influence
verb
 
 
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