asunder
Americanadverb
-
into separate parts; in or into pieces.
Lightning split the old oak tree asunder.
-
apart or widely separated.
as wide asunder as the polar regions.
adverb
Etymology
Origin of asunder
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English on sundrum “apart”; see a- 1, sundry
Explanation
Asunder is an adverb that means “into separate pieces.” So if you’ve torn your ex's love letter asunder, you’ve forcefully ripped it into separate pieces — and rightly so. Asunder comes from the Old English phrase on sundran, which means "into separate places." It is a somewhat archaic and uncommon word and many people know it only from religious marriage ceremonies: "What God has joined together let no man put asunder." In most cases, you can use its more common synonym "apart" and convey the same meaning, unless you want to express a particularly violent or forceful ripping.
Vocabulary lists containing asunder
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 11, List 3
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It also took a bassline from First Choice’s Let No Man Put Asunder, a much-remixed 1977 disco track that had been huge in northern clubs.
From The Guardian • Jan. 19, 2017
To wit: "Days of Asunder" --Entertainment Weekly "Days of Plunder" --The Express, London "Hearts Wide Shut" --People "Separation: Impossible?"
From Time Magazine Archive
All civil bonds are rent Asunder, torn to pieces, Knight, when men Have no belief.
From The Dramatic Works of G. E. Lessing Miss Sara Sampson, Philotas, Emilia Galotti, Nathan the Wise by Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim
The first course that together they rode So furious were that knightly twain Asunder burst their shields of gold, And their broken spears flew o’er the plain.
From Ermeline a ballad by Borrow, George Henry
The first course that together they rode, So strong were the knightly two, Asunder went Humble’s saddle-ring, And a furlong his good shield flew.
From Romantic Ballads, Translated from the Danish; and Miscellaneous Pieces by Borrow, George Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
