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disintegration

disintegration

11 6.7
A group, system, or organization loses order and stops working well
  • noun
  • /ˌdɪsɪnˈtɪɡreɪʃən/
translation icon : desintegración
  • Britain sought to protect Nigerian society from rapid disintegration arising from the impact of Western civilization.
  • social disintegration
  • rapid disintegration
  • political disintegration

Do you not see the inevitability of the disintegration of governments?

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Examples

  • The disintegration of their relationship was gradual, marked by a lack of communication.

  • The more Lebanon was fragmented and threatened with total disintegration, the more intense our nationalistic feelings became.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Unfortunately, the process of disintegration has begun.

  • Second, the military has a duty to stop the disintegration of Nigeria as a political entity.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Thus, the first phase of democratization led to civil war, disintegration, and the creation of new states.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Stability can be preserved during reforms, and the disintegration of society can be avoided.

    Academic text (1991)
  • For the Taino, political disintegration and the decimation of the population occurred simultaneously.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The sections of this third mode of narration relate the establishment and eventual disintegration of the island society.

    Academic text (1990)
  • To avert the catastrophic disintegration of Muslim society, the credibility of its leadership must be restored.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The county agrees with the church and considers the poem emblematic of modern society's moral disintegration.

Synonyms

collapse
vsdisintegration
350 4.1

A sudden failure, for example of a person or a building

is a gradual or general loss of cohesion rather than a sudden event
breakdown
vsdisintegration
79 4.4

A failure in a system or relationship that stops it working properly

is the general decline of organization, not only functional failure
breakup
vsdisintegration
39 3.6

A separation into parts when something falls apart

is the broader loss of cohesion across an entire system
dissolution
vsdisintegration
  • Formal
20 6.8

The official ending of a group like a partnership or parliament

is the general breakdown of cohesion, not necessarily a formal ending
dismantling
vsdisintegration
14 4.4

The act of taking a machine or system apart

is an often unplanned loss of cohesion rather than intentional removal
dislocation
vsdisintegration
11 6.8

A change that stops the normal way a system or community works

is the progressive breakdown of cohesion rather than a single interruption
split
vsdisintegration
9 4.2

Divided into opposing parts within a group

focuses on overall loss of organization rather than only group division
fragmentation
vsdisintegration
  • Specialized
9 6.8

When a group or society breaks into smaller parts and loses shared values

is the general process of losing cohesion rather than many small pieces
disorganization
vsdisintegration
  • US
7 3.8

A lack of order or system that makes things untidy

focuses on the process that causes that disorder across the whole system
rupture
vsdisintegration
6 7.1

A serious break between people or groups that causes a lack of trust

is the neutral process of cohesion loss without implying hostility
dismantlement
vsdisintegration
3 5.9

The act of taking a machine or building apart into separate parts

refers to spontaneous loss of organization rather than deliberate dismantling
disunion
vsdisintegration
1 8.1

A situation when people or groups are not united

covers the broader process by which that unity is lost
disaggregation
vsdisintegration
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Breaking a whole into smaller separate parts

refers to overall loss of organization rather than analytical separation
disbandment
vsdisintegration
1 7.5

Breaking up an organized group like a band or army

is the broader process of cohesion loss beyond formal dissolution
dissociation
vsdisintegration
1 7.8

The act of separating something from a group or connection

describes the systemic loss of unity rather than individual separation acts
uncoupling
vsdisintegration
1 5.0

Separating things that were joined before, for example train cars

describes wider collapse of organization rather than deliberate disconnection
decohesion
vsdisintegration
9.9

Parts that were held together come apart

describes the wider breakdown of cohesion across a system
dividedness
vsdisintegration
7.5

A situation where groups are split and do not work together

points to the active process of cohesion loss across a system
disarticulation
vsdisintegration
  • Specialized
8.9

Separation of parts that are normally joined in a structure or machine

is the general loss of cohesion, not only physical disconnection

Antonyms

72 2.7

Arranging people or things in a neat, planned order

21 4.8

The state of people or parts staying together and forming a whole

How Cohesive

cohesion
21 4.8
instability
114 5.1
disintegration
11 6.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

disintegration = disintegrate (semi-transparent) = dis + integrate + ion

The noun is a straightforward nominalization of 'disintegrate', whose parts are semantically coherent.

Etymology

Disintegration comes from dis- 'apart' and integrate from integer 'whole', so it literally means 'not whole'. That is why we use it for systems or groups: when order, trust, or unity falls away and the group no longer stays whole, it has undergone disintegration.