conscious uncoupling

noun

1. the ending of a romantic relationship or marriage in a respectful, positive, and constructive way.

Other Word Forms

• consciously uncouple verb (used without object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of conscious uncoupling¹

First recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

By the time I was a preteen, Goop was already in the cultural ether—equal parts punchline and aspiration, its bone broth, jade eggs, and “conscious uncoupling” shaping conversations about how women eat, live, and perform wellness.

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So much for conscious uncoupling.

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Frontman Chris Martin and former partner Gwyneth Paltrow even managed to drain the heat out of breaking up when they popularized the term “conscious uncoupling” to describe their split.

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“It’s either a womb or a tomb,” said Katherine Woodward Thomas, a marriage and family therapist who coined the term “conscious uncoupling” and later wrote a book about how to do it.

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Later in the conversation, Paltrow got sentimental about her marriage to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, which ended in their “conscious uncoupling.”

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