disunion

American  

[dis-yoon-yuhn] / dɪsˈyun yən /

noun

1. a severance of union; separation; disjunction.

2. lack of unity; dissension.

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Etymology

Origin of disunion

First recorded in 1590–1600; dis- ¹ + union

Explanation

Disunion describes what happens when a club disbands or a marriage breaks up. The disunion of your book group means all the members have gone their separate ways. The noun disunion means the coming apart of some connection or alliance, and because it's such a formal word it's often used to talk about governments or business federations. You could say that the disunion of Britain and India resulted in Partition, or that the US Civil War nearly ended in disunion. The word combines dis, "lack or not," and union, with its Latin root of unionem, "oneness or unity."

Example Sentences

Here is the quintessential Westerner about to transform himself from Honest Abe the rail-splitter into Father Abraham, the avuncular statesman capable of handling the looming crisis over disunion and slavery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

“To choose love over hate, unity over disunion, progress over retreat.”

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2023

Over the next three years, the country descended into disunion, followed by civil war.

From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2022

Why did the Missouri Crisis trigger threats of disunion and war?

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

It is an army of remarkable unity, fighting for disunion.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara