divided
Americanadjective
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separated; separate.
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shared; apportioned.
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(of a leaf ) cut into distinct portions by incisions extending to the midrib or base.
adjective
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botany another word for dissected
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split; not united
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of divided
Explanation
Something that's divided is sectioned or split into parts. A divided political party might be separated into several groups with very different opinions on what the party's priorities ought to be. Things can be physically divided, the way a pizza is when it's cut into eight separate pieces, or the way a highway is when it has a concrete barrier between lanes that go in different directions. There's also a figurative way of being divided, like a divided family that's feuding about something, or divided experts who disagree on the findings of a study. The adjective divided comes from the Latin dividere, "to force apart, cleave, or distribute."
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.
Travelers at the airport Thursday were divided on the name change.
From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026
The findings, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, show that the burial site was used during two separate periods, divided by a major population decline around 3000 BC.
From Science Daily • Jul. 8, 2026
These are weighted ratios of constituent companies’ valuations divided by reported revenue over the preceding 12 months.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026
The decision has divided the public online in China, with a hashtag linked to the case drawing more than 400 million views and tens of thousands of comments.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
Yet some people felt divided on the issue of euthanasia.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
