Disconnect is traditionally a verb meaning to sever or interrupt a connection, but in recent years a noun sense has gained prominence. The noun disconnect is used (1) to mean an inability to mentally reconcile two or more things, (2) as a synonym of disparity or gap, or (3) simply as a truncated version of disconnection.
Why so many writers resist the longstanding nouns disconnection and disparity is hard to say. With disconnection, the resistance perhaps relates to that word’s infrastructure-related meanings. Still, disconnection and disparity are perfectly good words, and disconnect would usually bear replacement with one or the other.
Examples
For example, these writers use disconnect where disconnection, disparity, or gap might make more sense:
… the Japanese star understands the natural disconnect between a glamorous pro golfing life and the terrors of a national cataclysm. [New York Daily News]
There’s a disconnect when we see the same people all glammed up on the red carpets, or draping themselves around giant perfume bottles. [Independent]
The disconnect between Washington’s view of Reagan and America’s perception of him … [Politico]
There seems to be an increasing sense of disconnect between the capital and what is happening in the east. [NPR]
There is a disconnect between the provincial government and local authorities over funding. [Calgary Herald]
