WordValedisruptor
a newcomer that upends an industry
In more detail
1. (noun) a person or company that changes an industry or market by introducing new ideas or methods that make existing products or services seem old-fashioned
2. (noun) something that interrupts or prevents something from continuing normally
Examples
- 1. Apple was a disruptor in the music industry when it introduced the iPod and iTunes.
- 2. A power outage was a disruptor to our plans for the evening.
How to use disruptor
Disruptor is widely used in business and technology contexts to describe both agents of change (people or companies) and the effects they produce. It carries generally positive connotations when discussing innovation, though it can be neutral or mildly negative when referring to interruption or disturbance. The term has become increasingly common in corporate discourse since the 2010s.
Common phrases
- market disruptor
- digital disruptor
- disruptor in the industry
- disruptive technology
- act as a disruptor
Synonyms
innovator · game-changer · shakeup · upstart · maverick
Opposites
traditionalist · conformist
Word family
disrupt · disruptive · disruption · disruptively
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use 'disruptor' and 'disruption' interchangeably, but disruptor specifically denotes the agent or actor causing change, whereas disruption refers to the process or state of being disrupted.
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