adj
disruptive
dihs-RUHP-tihv
adj
1
Causing trouble, disorder, or interruption to normal activity.
"The teacher asked the disruptive students to sit apart."
"Loud construction noise was disruptive to the neighborhood."
2
In business, describing an innovation that radically changes or displaces an existing market.
"Streaming was a disruptive technology for the TV industry."
How to Use Disruptive
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither "causing trouble/disorder" or, in business, "radically changing an industry."
Memory tip
Context tells you which sense is meant: a disruptive child vs. a disruptive startup.
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Common pairings
disruptive behavior
disruptive technology
disruptive innovation
Word Forms
more disruptive comparative, most disruptive superlative
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The teacher asked the _____ students to sit apart.
Etymology
From disrupt + -ive; the business sense was popularized in the 1990s by writer Clayton Christensen's work on "disruptive innovation."