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Glite Dictionary
anomic

anomic

9.9
Feeling lost and disconnected because society's rules have broken down
  • adjective
  • /əˈnɑːmɪk/
  • Formal
translation icon : anómico
  • The growing alienation of the mass of the population from political organizations and politics per se in economically difficult times bears the danger of anomic explosions of discontent.
  • anomic survival

Examples

  • Chance and the family were functioning at a level of anomic survival.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Descriptively speaking, anomic survival reflects the life patterns of people who live in a constant state of chaos or disruption.

    Academic text (1997)

  • They seemed then just the most visible and vocal among anomic groups.

    Academic text (1992)

  • When vulnerable personalities are caught up in it, the results are often tragic, and their behavior often becomes anomic, rootless, and even violent.

    Academic text (2004)

  • There have also been studies of so-called anomic violence that often look at the same socioeconomic or normative causes.

    Academic text (1996)

  • For example, the respondent Chance (all names are pseudonyms) lived in a state of anomic survival much as he had in the home where he grew up.

    Academic text (1997)

  • These unfulfilled yearnings may also spill over into anomic, violent, unfocused, and ultimately self-destructive popular uprisings.

    Academic text (1998)

  • In an increasingly anomic society, many people feel disconnected from traditional values and norms.

  • The rise of social media has contributed to a sense of anomic disorientation among teenagers.

  • After the economic collapse, the city experienced anomic chaos as people struggled to adapt to new realities.

Synonyms

disoriented
vsanomic
6 5.1

Feeling confused or lost about your place among others

arises from a breakdown of social norms and values rather than personal confusion
alienated
vsanomic
6.8

Feeling alone and not part of a group or society

focuses on confusion caused by collapsing social norms rather than simple isolation

Compounds

anomic aphasia
  • Specialized
9.6

A condition that makes it hard to find names of objects while the person still understands speech

How Anomic

anomic
  • Formal
9.9
alienated
6.8
unsettled
22 4.2
stable
473 2.3

Surface Forms

anomic positive

Morphology

anomic = anomie (transparent) = anomie + ic

The adjective is a regular formation from the noun 'anomie' with the productive suffix '-ic', so its meaning ('relating to anomie') is predictable.

Etymology

The word anomic comes from the Greek parts a- meaning 'not' and nomos meaning 'law' or 'custom', the same root you see in autonomy ('self-rule') and economy ('house rules'). So anomic describes people or places that are 'without rules' and feel socially lost.