DIVORCE Synonyms: 175 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'divorce' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of divorce are divide , part , separate , sever , and sunder . While all these words mean "to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed," divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together. // cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

Q: When is 'divide' a more appropriate choice than 'divorce'?

The words divide and divorce can be used in similar contexts, but divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking. // civil war divided the nation

Q: When is it sensible to use 'part' instead of 'divorce'?

While the synonyms part and divorce are close in meaning, part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association. // vowed never to part

Q: When could 'separate' be used to replace 'divorce'?

In some situations, the words separate and divorce are roughly equivalent. However, separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing. // separated her personal life from her career

Q: When can 'sever' be used instead of 'divorce'?

The synonyms sever and divorce are sometimes interchangeable, but sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member. // a severed limb

Q: In what contexts can 'sunder' take the place of 'divorce'?

While in some cases nearly identical to divorce , sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart. // a city sundered by racial conflict

divorce 1 of 2

noun

Definition of divorce

as in breakup

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

divorce

2 of 2

verb

as in to split

to set or force apart in your head you need to divorce your wishes and fantasies from the realities of the world as it is

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word divorce distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of divorce are divide, part, separate, sever, and sunder. While all these words mean "to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed," divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

When is divide a more appropriate choice than divorce?

The words divide and divorce can be used in similar contexts, but divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

civil war divided the nation

When is it sensible to use part instead of divorce?

While the synonyms part and divorce are close in meaning, part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

vowed never to part

When could separate be used to replace divorce?

In some situations, the words separate and divorce are roughly equivalent. However, separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.

separated her personal life from her career

When can sever be used instead of divorce?

The synonyms sever and divorce are sometimes interchangeable, but sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

a severed limb

In what contexts can sunder take the place of divorce?

While in some cases nearly identical to divorce, sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

a city sundered by racial conflict

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of divorce

Noun

Markel was killed in Tallahassee, Florida in a murder-for-hire motivated by child custody issues following his divorce from his wife Wendi Adelson. — Peter White, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 The statute required judges to record whether the wife was pregnant, leading some to interpret the requirement as a factor in granting or delaying divorce proceedings. — Jack Harvel august 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026

Verb

Affleck married Jennifer Lopez in 2022, divorcing two years later. — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Ever since Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott divorced, most headlines about the latter have been about her charitable endeavors. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for divorce

Recent Examples of Synonyms for divorce

Noun

Then there are the affair-and-breakup songs, tunes where someone is searching for something better, like young musicians heading west to get famous.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
But a drumbeat of doubt began in Elwood’s head in 2010 on a tour of Sarajevo, where Bosnian-Serb forces had committed atrocities during the war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia.

— Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of breakup

Noun

Tymon Brown, the Gravel Institute’s head of production, said that the nonprofit’s dissolution was never explained to him or the rest of the organization.

— T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
In the following centuries, Norway didn't have a king of its own until Harald's grandfather, Haakon VII, was elected king following the 1905 dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of dissolution

Verb

The team analyzed the corridor over the long term and used seasonal-trend decomposition using LOESS, a statistical method that helped separate seasonal fluctuations from longer-term settlement.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
The bridge connects two settlements in a valley in northwest Rwanda that are separated by the river.

— Fatma Tanis, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of separate

Noun

While snobbery and name-dropping dominate, Nora’s feeling of alienation is tempered by her crush on associate editor Thomas (Joshuah Melnick) who, though only slightly older, seems to know everything about piloting the scene.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
All three CEOs understood implicitly that prior alienation of primary points of customer contact are more destructive than any mere marketing campaign can fix.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of alienation

Verb

The case has become a national cultural fixation and a social media spectacle, gripping and dividing spectators well beyond the Massachusetts courtroom where the 36-year-old mother is charged with killing her three young children.

— Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Essentially a form of computational fluid dynamics, the simulation divides the flow passages into a very large number of tiny regions and calculates things such as velocity, pressure, turbulence, and temperature throughout the component.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of divide

Noun

The staff would have to begin to go even sooner than the shareholders; Fried Frank, in its presentation, estimated between $20 and $24 million in severance and $75 million in union termination.

— Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
For the length of the severance period, the departing executives will be entitled to healthcare at employee rates.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of severance

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divisions

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divorced

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“Divorce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/divorce. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of divorce

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verb

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Synonyms of divorce

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

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