disintegration

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UK/dɪs.ɪn.tɪˈɡɹeɪ.ʃən/US/dɪsˌɪnd.əˈɡɹeɪ.ʃən/US[dɪsˌɪn.əˈɡɹeɪ.ʃən]

noun

A process by which anything disintegrates.

Less commonScrabble 16

Meanings

noundisintegration (countable and uncountable, plural disintegrations)

plural disintegrations

  1. countableuncountableA process by which anything disintegrates.
    1 more example

    A Pan American World Airways, Inc., B-707-321B, N761PA, experienced an explosive disintegration of the third stage turbine disk of the No. 4 engine at approximately 1410 P.d.t, June 28, 1965. The accident occurred shortly after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California, at an altitude of about 800 feet above the ground. Disintegration of the turbine disk was followed by a fire in the No. 4 engine area and an explosion in the outboard reserve fuel tank. The No. 4 engine and approximately 25 feet of the right outer wing separated from the aircraft.

    1966 September 28, Civil Aeronautics Board, “Synposis^([sic])”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Pan American World Airways, Inc., B-707-321B, N761PA, San Francisco, California, June 28, 1965, retrieved 25 Nov 2022, page 1
  2. countableuncountableThe condition of anything which has disintegrated.
  3. countableuncountablegeographyThe wearing away or falling to pieces of rocks or strata, produced by atmospheric action, frost, ice, etc.
  4. countableuncountablenuclear physicsThe process of radioactive decay.
    1. countableuncountablenuclear physicsThe radioactive decay of a single atom.

      The sample exhibited an activity of three disintegrations per second.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounin a decomposed state

Broader

nounseparation into component parts

Broader
natural processnatural actionaction

nounthe spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation

nountotal destruction

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Catalan desintegració
  • desintegracióa process by which anything disintegrates
Czech dezintegrace
  • dezintegracea process by which anything disintegrates
Esperanto diseriĝo
  • diseriĝoa process by which anything disintegrates
French désintégration
  • désintégrationa process by which anything disintegrates
German Zerfall
  • Zerfalla process by which anything disintegrates
Hindi विघटन
  • विघटन (vighṭan)a process by which anything disintegrates
Hungarian szétesés, szétbomlás
  • szétesésa process by which anything disintegrates
  • szétbomlása process by which anything disintegrates
Italian disintegrazione
  • disintegrazionea process by which anything disintegrates
Polish dezintegracja, dezintegracja
  • dezintegracjaa process by which anything disintegrates
  • dezintegracjageology: a wearing away or falling to pieces of rocks or strata, produced by atmospheric action, frost, ice, etc.
Portuguese desintegração, desintegração
  • desintegraçãoa process by which anything disintegrates
  • desintegraçãothe condition of anything which has disintegrated
Romanian dezintegrare
  • dezintegrarea process by which anything disintegrates
Russian распа́д, разложе́ние
  • распа́д (raspád)a process by which anything disintegrates
  • разложе́ние (razložénije)a process by which anything disintegrates
  • дезинтегра́ция (dezintegrácija)a process by which anything disintegrates
Spanish desintegración
  • desintegracióna process by which anything disintegrates
Tagalog hiugnay, hiugnay
  • hiugnaya process by which anything disintegrates
  • hiugnaygeology: a wearing away or falling to pieces of rocks or strata, produced by atmospheric action, frost, ice, etc.
Turkish dezentegrasyon
  • dezentegrasyona process by which anything disintegrates

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with disintegration

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

disintegration. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disintegration

MLA

“disintegration.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disintegration. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disintegration,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disintegration.

Source: disintegration on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.