dislocation

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "dislocation" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts related to the displacement of something, often in medical or geographical discussions. Example: "The athlete suffered a dislocation of his shoulder during the game."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

His brilliantly reimagined fictional landscape conjures a hellish vision of the developing world's endemic dislocation.

The Guardian - Books

"Her story of adoption and dislocation is a story in too many people's backgrounds," Behrendt says.

The Guardian

For more than 60 years they have endured the pain of dislocation.

The Guardian

There's a dislocation between the people who support Ukip and Nigel who is of a different class – I think we think that it's more of a working-class support, but with more of an upper-class leader".

The Guardian

But after his 33rd minute injury – which was caused in a collision with Hamburg's Rafael van der Vaart – he faces a substantial period out of action after suffering a total dislocation of his knee in which the anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscus were all torn away from the articular capsule.

The Guardian - Sport

In recent years Lynne Ramsey's Ratcatcher and Gary Oldman's Nil By Mouth have looked at urban dislocation and family neglect without flinching.

The Guardian - Film

Participants and audience were considerably more comfortable discussing the emotional dislocation of politicians, but were weak on expressing what emotional responses that we, as a people, expect of public figures.

The Guardian - Opinion

She experienced, in those moments, the gaps in her own story – birth parents who had put her up for adoption at three weeks of age; another kind of personal dislocation, a lost cultural connection, an all too common story in Indigenous Australia.

The Guardian

Dale Thomas never quite caught on in his first season at the Blues and this one started disastrously too as the luckless on-baller ran off the ground in the opening minutes with a season-denting shoulder dislocation.

The Guardian - Sport

The combined miseries of coastal flooding, desertification, species loss, agricultural dislocation and disease migration are almost too much to imagine.

The Economist

The freedom to raise taxes on the rich to punitive levels will be similarly constrained by the mobility of capital and highly skilled labour.The main way in which governments can help their people through this dislocation is through education systems.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about physical injuries, use "dislocation" to specifically describe the displacement of a bone from its joint. For broader disruptions, consider alternatives like "displacement" or "disruption".

Common error

Avoid using "dislocation" to describe general feelings of unease or discomfort. While it can metaphorically apply to feelings of displacement, reserve it for situations where something is literally out of place or significantly disrupted.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "dislocation" is as a noun, referring to the act of displacing or the state of being displaced. This can describe both physical displacement (e.g., a joint injury) and abstract disruptions, as shown in Ludwig examples.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

30%

Science

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The term "dislocation" is a versatile noun with applications in both medical and abstract contexts. As Ludwig AI confirms, its use is grammatically sound and prevalent across diverse domains. It's commonly found in news articles, business reports, and scientific publications to describe physical displacements, social disruptions, or economic upheavals. While synonyms like "displacement" and "disruption" exist, "dislocation" often implies a more significant disruption of a normal state. When employing this term, ensure the context aligns with its core meaning of something being out of its proper place or significantly disturbed.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

displacement

Focuses on the act of being moved from a place or position.

disruption

Emphasizes the interruption of a normal process or state.

derangement

Highlights a state of being disturbed or disordered.

upheaval

Suggests a significant disturbance or change, often sudden.

instability

Indicates a lack of stability or equilibrium.

disarray

Focuses on a state of disorder or confusion.

disorganization

Emphasizes the lack of structured arrangement.

alienation

Highlights a feeling of separation or estrangement.

maladjustment

Suggests a failure to adapt properly to circumstances.

severance

Emphasizes the act of cutting off or separating something.

FAQs

How can I use "dislocation" in a sentence?

You can use "dislocation" to describe a physical injury, such as "The athlete suffered a shoulder dislocation", or to describe social or economic disruption, such as "The economic dislocation caused by the pandemic led to widespread job losses".

What are some synonyms for "dislocation"?

Depending on the context, you can use synonyms like "displacement", "disruption", or "upheaval" as alternatives to "dislocation".

Is "dislocation" only used in a medical context?

No, while "dislocation" is commonly used in medical contexts to describe a joint injury, it can also be used to describe broader social, economic, or geographical disruptions.

What's the difference between "dislocation" and "displacement"?

"Dislocation" often implies something is out of its normal position, whether physically or metaphorically. "Displacement", on the other hand, is a more general term for being moved from a place or position and can be used in contexts where the original position is not necessarily considered 'normal'.