Disjointed
/dɪsˈdʒɔɪntɪd/
adjectiveB2past participle adjective form
Definition
Disjointed means that parts of something are separated or do not connect in a clear or natural way. It often describes speech, writing, or events that seem confusing or not organized because the ideas or parts jump around without smooth links.
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See It in Action
Not connected or organized well in speech, writing, or ideas
- •His explanation was disjointed and hard to understand.
- •The meeting felt disjointed because people kept changing topics.
- •The story was disjointed, jumping from one event to another without clear links.
Physically separated or disconnected (less common)
- •The disjointed parts of the machine needed repair.
- •The disjointed bones showed the injury was severe.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'disjointed' like 'broken' or 'not connected,' but in ideas or parts, not physical objects.
- ✓Picture a puzzle with pieces scattered and not fitting together, making it hard to see the whole picture.
- ✓It's the feeling you get when someone tells a story that jumps from one idea to another without clear order.
- ✓Sounds like 'dis-JOY-nted' → imagine something that lost its 'joint' (connection), so it falls apart.
- ✓Imagine a movie where scenes are cut and put in the wrong order, making the story hard to follow.
- ✓NOT like 'smooth' or 'connected' (which flow well), disjointed is the opposite, with gaps or jumps.
- ✓NOT like 'simple' (easy to understand), disjointed is often confusing or hard to follow.
- ✓NOT physical breakage, but breaks in thought, speech, or structure.
Try Other Words
- •Unconnected: not joined or linked (Use when emphasizing lack of connection but less about confusion)
- •Fragmented: broken into pieces (Use when parts are separated and incomplete)
- •Incoherent: not clear or logical (Use when speech or writing is hard to understand due to lack of order)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix 'dis-' (not, opposite) + root 'joint' (connection, place where two parts meet) + suffix '-ed' (adjective form)
- •Etymology: From Latin 'dis-' meaning apart or away, and 'joint' from Old French and Latin roots meaning a place where two things connect
- •Historical development: Originally describing physical separation of joints, extended to ideas and speech meaning lack of connection
- •Modern usage: Commonly used to describe unclear, confusing, or badly organized speech, writing, or events
Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when your ideas or speech felt disjointed? What helped you make them clearer?
•How does disjointed communication affect how people understand each other in daily life or work?
Fill in the blanks
1.His speech was disjointed because he kept ___ from one topic to another without clear links.
2.When a story is disjointed, readers often feel ___ and confused about what happens next.
3.Unlike smooth and connected ideas, disjointed thoughts ___ to make a clear message.
4.The conversation became disjointed after the phone call ___ the meeting.
5.Disjointed writing usually lacks ___ that help readers follow the main points.
6.She tried to fix the disjointed parts of her essay by adding ___ between paragraphs.
7.We could tell the team's plans were disjointed because their actions did not ___ well together.