anomie

American  

[an-uh-mee] / ˈæn əˌmi /

Or anomy

noun

Sociology.

1. a state or condition of individuals or society characterized by a breakdown or absence of social norms and values, as in the case of uprooted people.

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anomie British  

/ ˈænəʊmɪ, əˈnɒmɪk /

noun

1. sociol lack of social or moral standards in an individual or society

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Other Word Forms

• anomic adjective

Etymology

Origin of anomie

1930–35; < French < Greek anomía lawlessness. See a- ⁶, -nomy

Example Sentences

Animation vies with anomie; the human stick figures, casting no shadows, are dwarfed by bleak urban realities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Though Santi likes to hit, perhaps just to blow off steam, he has become alienated from the game and resistant to advice — for reasons we will learn, besides the usual teenage anomie.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025

In the U.S., car crash rates and pedestrian fatalities have recently erupted; potential culprits include “car bloat,” smartphones, COVID-related anomie, and the automatic transmission, which frees up motorists’ hands to, say, use TikTok.

From Slate • May 25, 2024

Teresa Taylor, a drummer for the Texas acid-punk band Butthole Surfers who became an emblem of Generation X aimlessness and anomie with a memorable appearance in Richard Linklater’s 1990 film “Slacker,” died on Sunday.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2023

She was there for your first crushes and heartbreaks, your party dresses and spins at sophisticated states like anomie.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides