Anomies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of normlessness characterized by a breakdown of social or moral values within a community or society
2. The condition in which there is a disconnection from societal norms and standards leading to confusion
3. A situation where societal rules and values are unclear or absent, resulting in feelings of alienation and lack of purpose

Etymology: The Greek "anomia" meant simply "lawlessness," built from "a-" ("not") and "nomos" ("law"). Its modern sense owes most to the French sociologist Émile Durkheim, who revived the French form "anomie" to describe a society whose shared norms have broken down, leaving people unmoored and disconnected from one another. Durkheim's work made the term a standard concept in sociology. "Anomies" is the plural of "anomie," used when speaking of several separate cases or kinds of normlessness within a society.

Synonyms: normlessness, lawlessness, social instability

Antonyms: order, norms, social stability