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.
In mitotic slippage, chromosomes are frequently divided unevenly, creating severe genetic imbalance that reduces a cell's ability to survive.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
The epicenter of the drone-fueled combat is in central Sudan’s Kordofan region, which is divided into North, South and West Kordofan states.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
A divided Congress could make it harder for either party to pass major changes to taxes, spending or regulation.
From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026
It was Channel 4, announcing it had launched a review divided into two parts.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Figure 1.66: Any common note length can be divided into an unusual number of equal-length notes and rests, for example by dividing a whole note into three instead of two 11half11 notes.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
