disruptive
Innovative or groundbreaking in a way that completely overthrows, replaces, or redefines an existing market, industry, or technology.
In business, it does not mean 'annoying' or 'troublesome'; it refers to a specific economic phenomenon where a smaller company with fewer resources successfully challenges established businesses.
Word relationships
- revolutionary: Revolutionary implies a massive, dramatic change, while disruptive specifically implies displacing existing market leaders.
- radical: Radical means affecting the fundamental nature of something, whereas disruptive focuses on the market impact and displacement.
- sustaining: Sustaining innovations are incremental improvements that help established companies sell more products to their best customers.
- traditional: Traditional methods follow long-established customs and do not challenge the status quo.
Commonly confused with
- destructive: Destructive means causing severe damage or ruin, while disruptive in business means changing a market structure (which can be creative and productive).
Word family
- disrupt (verb): To drastically alter or destroy the structure of something.
- disruption (noun): Disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process.
Collocations
- disruptive technology
- disruptive innovation
- disruptive force
- highly disruptive
Example sentences
- "Streaming services proved to be a highly disruptive technology, eventually bankrupting traditional video rental stores." An analysis of digital media.
- "Disruptive technologies bring to a market a very different value proposition than had been available previously." The definitive book on disruptive innovation.
Memory hook
Think of 'rupture' (to burst or break). A disruptive company causes a rupture in the old way of doing business. Rupturing the old market to build something new.
When not to use
Do not use it to describe minor improvements or standard competition. True disruption changes the rules of the game.
Fun facts
- Clayton Christensen famously complained that his theory of disruption was widely misunderstood and overused to describe almost any successful startup.
Explore more words
disrupt, innovate, cutting-edge, intrusive, iconoclastic, unorthodox
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