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anomie

1 of 1noun
/ˈænəmi/
Forms:anomies
1

a state of personal instability, isolation, or anxiety caused by a breakdown of social norms or regulation

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  • After losing his job, he experienced a deep sense of anomie and purposelessness.
  • Rapid social change often produces feelings of anomie among citizens.
  • The novel captures the protagonist's anomie in a disintegrating moral landscape.
  • Urban life can create anomie by weakening traditional community ties.
  • Sociologists link rising crime rates to widespread anomie.
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2

the condition of a society in which moral standards, laws, or values have broken down or lost authority

  • The collapse of trust in institutions led to a period of national anomie.
  • Durkheim described anomie as a collective loss of moral direction.
  • Economic inequality can breed anomie in modern societies.
  • The revolution created anomie by overturning established norms.
  • Media saturation contributes to cultural anomie by blurring moral boundaries.
Synonyms: