Indiscipline

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A deficiency in self-control indicates an inability to follow rules and standards, which often results in disorder and disrupts adherence to social norms
2. The absence of self-discipline represents a failure to comply with established guidelines, leading to unruliness and potential breakdown of order
3. The state of failing to maintain discipline or proper behavior, often causing disorder or rule-breaking

Etymology: The word arrived in English by way of French, which had taken it from Late Latin "indisciplina." Its building blocks are plain: the Latin prefix "in-" meaning "not," joined to "disciplina," the root behind "discipline" itself. So the noun is simply the state of not being disciplined, a lack of the training and order that the Latin word implied. Latin "disciplina" originally meant instruction or teaching, and the idea of punishment only came later, as the teaching of a student came to mean the correction that enforced it. "Indiscipline" kept the older sense of an absence of training as much as an absence of obedience, which is why the word can describe both a sloppy army and an unruly classroom.

Synonyms: misbehavior, disorder, insubordination, chaos, disarray

Antonyms: discipline, order, control, organization, obedience