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Preposition after adjective

disruptive to vs. disruptive in

Use disruptive to when something causes interruption or harm to an activity, system, or person. Use disruptive in when referring to the place or situation where disruption happens.

Quick answer

Disruptive to is the main pattern

Disruptive to means causing problems or interruption for someone or something. Disruptive in usually introduces the context where disruptive behaviour occurs.

The noise was disruptive to the class.
Frequent alerts are disruptive to productivity.
He became disruptive in meetings.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
disruptive to + activity or system

Showing harmful effect or interruption

Use to when something negatively affects work, communication, learning, routines, or systems.

Construction work is disruptive to local businesses.
The pop-up ads were disruptive to the user experience.
2
disruptive to + person or group

Affecting people negatively

Use to for behaviour or events that disturb people or groups.

The child's shouting was disruptive to other students.
Late-night traffic can be disruptive to residents.
3
disruptive in + setting

Describing where disruption happens

In introduces the environment or activity in which someone behaves disruptively.

The students were disruptive in class.
She can become disruptive in large group discussions.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
disruptive to
The outage was disruptive to business operations.
Standard pattern for negative effects or interruption.
disruptive in
He was disruptive in class.
In introduces the setting where the disruption occurred.
disruptive for
The delay was disruptive for commuters.
For is sometimes used to show who experiences the disruption.
disruptive of
The phrase disruptive of is formal and uncommon.
It may appear in formal writing meaning causing disruption to something.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using in instead of to for effects

Use to when talking about what is negatively affected.

✕ The noise was disruptive in the lesson. ✓ The noise was disruptive to the lesson.

Confusing setting and target

In refers to the place or activity where disruption occurs.

✕ He was disruptive to class discussions yesterday. ✓ He was disruptive in class discussions yesterday.

Using to after behaviour settings

When naming the environment, in is usually more natural.

✕ The child was disruptive to class. ✓ The child was disruptive in class.

Overusing of in ordinary English

Disruptive of is rare and formal.

✕ The policy was disruptive of workflow. ✓ The policy was disruptive to workflow.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The constant emails were disruptive ___ my work.
2. The student was disruptive ___ class.
3. Which sentence is most natural?

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Frequently asked questions

Is disruptive to the most common pattern?

Yes. It is the standard way to describe something that interrupts or negatively affects another thing.

When should I use disruptive in?

Use in when naming the place, activity, or setting where disruptive behaviour happens.

Can disruptive of be correct?

Yes, but it is formal and uncommon in modern everyday English. Disruptive to is usually better.

daily, for, daily, with, daily, in damaging to, for, of, in or as? damn about, near, for, to or as? "dangerous for" or "dangerous to"? "dark in", "dark for" or "dark of"? "daunting for" or "daunting to"? dead in, on, by, at or of? deadly to, in, for, of or with? "deaf to" or "deaf in"? dear to, in, for, of or as? deceased in, to, for, at or on? "decent in" or "decent for"?

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