disunity
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disunity
Explanation
Disunity is a state of disagreement and conflict in a group of people. If you and your siblings are bickering loudly about who gets to sit in the front seat of the car, that's a good example of disunity. When people experience disunity, they just can't get along — in other words, they're not united. Unity, "the state of being one," comes from the Latin unitatem, "oneness, sameness, or agreement." Adding the prefix dis-, "not, or lack of," gives you the exact opposite. The disunity of a country can be seen in bitter political rhetoric, and your book group shows disunity when the members argue incessantly over what to read next.
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.
For many Russians, disagreement signals not free thought but chaotic disunity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
Inside the echoey conference hall, Corbyn used his opening speech to call for unity, telling the audience that "division and disunity will not serve the interests of the people that we want to represent".
From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025
Whether selfless unity can overcome a history of selfish disunity — actualized in the face of a common “threat” from within — will be the question of the day.
From Salon • Jan. 12, 2025
Whether it’s because of war, global warming, disunity, inequity, or all of the above, many feel lost and overwhelmed.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2024
Hence the real problem in understanding China’s loss of political and technological preeminence to Europe is to understand China’s chronic unity and Europe’s chronic disunity.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
