disruptively
disruptively — adverb
1. used for actions that interrupt the normal course of an event, stopping it from
used for actions that interrupt the normal course of an event, stopping it from progressing in the expected way and often causing confusion or annoyance
Students in Hiro's class acted disruptively during the exam, talking loudly and passing notes.
collocation: act disruptively
A toddler behaved disruptively at Léa's party, throwing food and crying during cake cutting.
Network problems affected Justin's video call disruptively, freezing the image every few minutes.
Some passengers on the train behaved disruptively, playing loud music and arguing with the conductor.
- troublesomely
focuses on creating difficulty rather than breaking continuity
- obstructively
stronger emphasis on actively blocking progress
- cooperatively
acting in a way that helps rather than hinders
文法句型
act/behave/interrupt + disruptively
用法筆記
Commonly pairs with verbs of behavior (act, behave) when describing people, or with verbs of interference (affect, interrupt) when describing systems or processes.
常見錯誤
2. referring to changes brought by new methods or technologies that fundamentally r
referring to changes brought by new methods or technologies that fundamentally reshape the way a business sector operates, often replacing older systems
Sahil's startup grew disruptively by using artificial intelligence to handle customer support without human agents.
collocation: grow disruptively
Streaming services changed the entertainment industry disruptively, reducing the role of traditional movie theaters.
Sofia's health app operates disruptively by connecting patients directly to specialists without hospital referrals.
Electric vehicle manufacturers are disruptively reshaping the global car market with cheaper battery technology.
- revolutionarily
emphasizes the radical, complete nature of the change
- transformatively
focuses on the result — a fundamental shift in how things work
- gradually
changing step by step rather than through sudden upheaval
文法句型
change/grow/reshape/operate + disruptively
用法筆記
This sense is used almost exclusively in business, technology, and economic contexts. It carries a positive connotation of innovation and progress, unlike sense 1 which has a negative connotation. Frequently appears with terms like 'innovation', 'technology', 'startup'.
常見錯誤
disruptively — adjective
- disruptivelypositive
- more disruptivelycomparative
- most disruptivelysuperlative
1. causing interruptions or disturbances that prevent a process, activity, or situa
causing interruptions or disturbances that prevent a process, activity, or situation from continuing in the usual way
The disruptive child kept running around while Hannah taught a science lesson.
Cyrus found the construction noise disruptive to his concentration while studying for the final exams.
pattern: disruptive to [noun]
Noa's disruptive phone calls in the library forced other students to relocate to a quieter floor.
The manager warned the team that disruptive comments during presentations would not be tolerated.
- disturbing
similar meaning but suggests an emotional or psychological effect rather than a procedural one
- troublesome
focuses on the difficulty caused, not necessarily a break in continuity
- orderly
following the expected sequence without disturbance
文法句型
disruptive + noun
be + disruptive + to + noun
用法筆記
Frequently used in classroom and workplace contexts. When applied to people, it describes behavior that breaks the expected order; when applied to technology, it overlaps with the positive business/innovation sense but without the industry-transformation connotation.
常見錯誤
2. showing severely disorganized patterns of thought and behavior that make it diff
showing severely disorganized patterns of thought and behavior that make it difficult for a person to function in daily life or communicate in a coherent way
The patient showed disruptive thought patterns, jumping between unrelated topics without any logical connection.
Adaeze recognized the disruptive speech patterns as symptoms of a serious mental health condition.
collocation: disruptive speech patterns
Doctors classified the patient's disruptive behavior as a sign of severe schizophrenia requiring immediate treatment.
Nora studied the link between disruptive sleep patterns and worsening symptoms in bipolar patients.
- disorganized
broader clinical term; 'disruptive' specifically emphasizes the break in coherent function
- disordered
more general; less specific to the break in normal patterns
- coherent
logically connected and understandable in thought or speech
文法句型
disruptive + noun (behavior, patterns, symptoms)
用法筆記
This sense belongs to formal clinical language in psychology and psychiatry. It is not interchangeable with sense 1 (INTERRUPTING) — in a clinical report, 'disruptive behavior' refers to a diagnostic pattern of disorganization, not merely a child misbehaving in class. Distinguish from sense 1 by the presence of clinical context (disorder, symptom, diagnosis).