DISTURBANCE

Pronunciation (US):

• DISTURBANCE (noun)
  The noun DISTURBANCE has 7 senses:

1. activity that is an intrusion or interruption
2. an unhappy and worried mental state
3. a disorderly outburst or tumult
4. a noisy fight
5. the act of disturbing something or someone; setting something in motion
6. (psychiatry) a psychological disorder of thought or emotion; a more neutral term than mental illness
7. electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication

  Familiarity information: DISTURBANCE used as a noun is common.

• DISTURBANCE (noun)

Meaning:

Activity that is an intrusion or interruption

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

disturbance; perturbation

Context examples:

he looked around for the source of the disturbance / there was a disturbance of neural function

Hypernyms ("disturbance" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "disturbance"):

magnetic storm (a sudden disturbance of the earth's magnetic field; caused by emission of particles from the sun)

bother; fuss; hassle; trouble (an angry disturbance)

Meaning:

An unhappy and worried mental state

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

perturbation; upset; disturbance

Context examples:

there was too much anger and disturbance / she didn't realize the upset she caused me

Hypernyms ("disturbance" is a kind of...):

agitation (a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance)

Meaning:

A disorderly outburst or tumult

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

commotion; to-do; kerfuffle; hoo-ha; hoo-hah; hurly burly; disruption; flutter; disturbance

Context example:

they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused

Hypernyms ("disturbance" is a kind of...):

disorder (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "disturbance"):

garboil; tumult; tumultuousness; uproar (a state of commotion and noise and confusion)

storm center; storm centre (a center of trouble or disturbance)

storm; tempest (a violent commotion or disturbance)

splash; stir (a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event)

incident (a public disturbance)

earthquake (a disturbance that is extremely disruptive)

convulsion; turmoil; upheaval (a violent disturbance)

Meaning:

A noisy fight

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

fray; affray; ruffle; disturbance

Hypernyms ("disturbance" is a kind of...):

combat; fight; fighting; scrap (the act of fighting; any contest or struggle)

Meaning:

The act of disturbing something or someone; setting something in motion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("disturbance" is a kind of...):

motility; motion; move; movement (a change of position that does not entail a change of location)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "disturbance"):

carnival; circus (a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment)

derangement; overthrow; upset (the act of disturbing the mind or body)

rampage; violent disorder (violently angry and destructive behavior)

outburst; tumultuous disturbance (a sudden violent disturbance)

agitation; excitement; hullabaloo; turmoil; upheaval (disturbance usually in protest)

battle royal; melee; scrimmage (a noisy riotous fight)

havoc; mayhem (violent and needless disturbance)

furor; furore (a sudden outburst (as of protest))

commotion; din; ruckus; ruction; rumpus; tumult (the act of making a noisy disturbance)

disruption; perturbation (the act of causing disorder)

disorganisation; disorganization (the disturbance of a systematic arrangement causing disorder and confusion)

Meaning:

(psychiatry) a psychological disorder of thought or emotion; a more neutral term than mental illness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

psychological disorder; mental disturbance; mental disorder; folie; disturbance

Hypernyms ("disturbance" is a kind of...):

disorder; upset (condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning)

Domain category:

psychiatry; psychological medicine; psychopathology (the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "disturbance"):

neurosis; neuroticism; psychoneurosis (a mental or personality disturbance not attributable to any known neurological or organic dysfunction)

schizothymia (resembling schizophrenia but remaining within the bounds of normality)

affective disorder; emotional disorder; emotional disturbance; major affective disorder (any mental disorder not caused by detectable organic abnormalities of the brain and in which a major disturbance of emotions is predominant)

personality disorder (inflexible and maladaptive patterns of behavior)

folie a deux (the simultaneous occurrence of symptoms of a mental disorder (as delusions) in two persons who are closely related (as siblings or man and wife))

encopresis (involuntary defecation not attributable to physical defects or illness)

delusional disorder (any mental disorder in which delusions play a significant role)

delirium (a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion often accompanied by hallucinations)

conversion disorder; conversion hysteria; conversion reaction (a mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause))

aberration (a disorder in one's mental state)

psychosomatic disorder (a mental disorder that causes somatic symptoms)

anxiety disorder (a cover term for a variety of mental disorders in which severe anxiety is a salient symptom)

dissociative disorder (dissociation so severe that the usually integrated functions of consciousness and perception of self break down)

Meaning:

Electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

noise; interference; disturbance

Hypernyms ("disturbance" is a kind of...):

trouble (an event causing distress or pain)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "disturbance"):

atmospheric static; atmospherics; static (a crackling or hissing noise cause by electrical interference)

jitter (small rapid variations in a waveform resulting from fluctuations in the voltage supply or mechanical vibrations or other sources)

fadeout (a gradual temporary loss of a transmitted signal due to electrical disturbances)

crosstalk; XT (the presence of an unwanted signal via an accidental coupling)

background; background signal (extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured)

clutter (unwanted echoes that interfere with the observation of signals on a radar screen)