What does disequilibrium mean?
Disequilibrium is a noun describing a state in which balance has been lost or never established — a condition in which opposing forces, influences, or quantities fail to counteract one another. It applies across many domains: a person may suffer physical disequilibrium from an inner-ear disorder, an economy may be thrown into disequilibrium by a currency crisis, and a government may face political disequilibrium after a disputed election. The word is notably prominent in economics, where it describes market situations in which supply and demand do not match at prevailing prices, and in psychology, where Jean Piaget used it to name the cognitive discomfort that arises when experience contradicts what we already believe. Formal rather than colloquial, disequilibrium conveys analytical precision, making it a valuable alternative to looser terms like imbalance when a writer wants to emphasize systemic or theoretical instability.
nounA loss or absence of balance or stability, whether physical, mental, political, or economic; a state in which opposing forces are unequal and conditions are unsettled.
- A lack of balance or stability in a physical system, such as loss of bodily balance.
- A state of instability or imbalance in economic, political, or social conditions.
- In psychology, Piaget's term for the mental discomfort experienced when new information conflicts with existing schemas.
"The sudden withdrawal of foreign investment threw the region's economy into disequilibrium."
"An inner-ear infection left her with persistent dizziness and a troubling sense of disequilibrium."
"The treaty was meant to correct the trade disequilibrium between the two nations."
The Latin-style plural 'disequilibria' is standard in academic and scientific contexts; the anglicized 'disequilibriums' also occurs but is less common.
"The model accounts for short-run market disequilibria that classical theory ignores."
Economists argue markets spend most of their time in disequilibrium — perfect balance is the exception, not the rule.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disequilibrium
Disequilibrium is formed from the prefix 'dis-' (indicating reversal or negation) attached to 'equilibrium', which entered English in the early 17th century from Latin. The Latin noun aequilibrium derives from aequus ('equal') and libra ('balance, scales'), so the underlying image is of scales that no longer hang level. Its cognates include 'equal', 'equator', 'adequate', and 'equilibrium' itself, all tracing back to the same Latin root aequus. As a distinct term, disequilibrium gained particular currency in nineteenth- and twentieth-century economic and scientific writing.
How disequilibrium is actually used
Disequilibrium is a formal word, common in academic writing on economics, psychology, and medicine, but less frequent in everyday conversation, where 'imbalance' is usually preferred. In economics it carries a technical sense of markets failing to clear at prevailing prices; in developmental psychology it is associated specifically with Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. The plural 'disequilibria' appears mainly in scholarly texts.
Easily confused with disequilibrium
Equilibrium denotes a state of balance between opposing forces, while disequilibrium denotes the loss or absence of that balance.
Dysfunction refers to impaired or abnormal operation of a system or organ, whereas disequilibrium specifically concerns an imbalance of forces or conditions.