disintegration
AmericanOther Word Forms
- nondisintegration noun
Etymology
Origin of disintegration
First recorded in 1790–1800; disintegrate + -ion
Explanation
Disintegration is when one thing splits into parts or just ceases to exist. When something is destroyed, broken up into pieces, or falls apart on its own, that’s disintegration. If you know that integration brings things or people together, you won't be surprised that disintegration means things are coming apart. Disintegration is what happens when a company breaks into smaller companies or when a band splits up. Often, disintegration is physical — a bomb could cause the disintegration of its target. The decomposition (rotting) of a body is an example of disintegration. When something radioactive decays, that's disintegration, too. Disintegration is when it all falls apart.
Vocabulary lists containing disintegration
East of Eden
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"Deep Survival," Vocabulary from the science writing
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Tracking Trash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bush nor President Mikhail Gorbachev anticipated: the disintegration of the U.S.S.R.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
Aung San's wartime comrade Ne Win, who had taken the helm of the armed forces after the leader's assassination in murky circumstances, swooped in in a putsch he justified as protection against Myanmar's disintegration.
From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025
But to me, there’s forces of disintegration and integration at all times.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025
The thing that made Sunday stunning was the complete disintegration of a team we thought had more about them.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2025
He had been out in the Alisal presiding at the disintegration of old, old lady German.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
