Indisciplined

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by a lack of self-control, order, or adherence to established rules, which often leads to chaos and disobedience
2. Exhibiting a failure to conform to accepted standards of discipline, resulting in unruly or disorderly behavior and poor self-management
3. Showing a deficiency in maintaining control or following rules, often resulting in disorderly conduct

Etymology: "Indisciplined" is a plain formation: the prefix "in-", meaning "not," attached to "disciplined." The prefix comes from Latin "in-," which English uses to negate adjectives, as in "inactive" or "incorrect." The base word "disciplined" comes from "discipline," which traces back through Old French to Latin "disciplina," meaning instruction or teaching, and ultimately to "discipulus," a learner or pupil. So the word's roots are in the idea of a student being taught, and the negated form describes someone who has not been trained into order. The negation works as it does in other English adjectives built from participles. "Disciplined" once meant "trained" or "instructed" before it came to mean "controlled and orderly," so "indisciplined" describes a person or group that has not received or accepted that training. Its meaning has therefore followed the sense of the root: from learning, to the habits that learning produces, to the lack of those habits.

Synonyms: disorderly, unruly, undisciplined, chaotic, uncontrolled

Antonyms: disciplined, controlled, orderly, obedient, well-behaved