Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

fissiparous

American  
[fi-sip-er-uhs] / fɪˈsɪp ər əs /

adjective

  1. reproducing by fission.


fissiparous British  
/ fɪˈsɪpərəs /

adjective

  1. biology reproducing by fission

  2. having a tendency to divide into groups or factions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of fissiparous

First recorded in 1825–35; fissi- + -parous

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.

But the walkout threat is a marked escalation from an ordinarily fissiparous newsroom.

From Salon • Dec. 8, 2022

The two are stepsisters-to-be—Tracy’s mother is set to marry Brooke’s father—and the slightness of that link feels right for the frail, fissiparous world that Baumbach likes to map.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 24, 2015

Like empires, world orders grow old, fissiparous, complacent and grumpy — despite the Champagne, the thrill is gone.

From New York Times • Jan. 1, 2015

Then there is the danger that Iraq's fissiparous character could drive it back into civil war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 28, 2010

The league, in their view, was inherently fragile and fissiparous; if it had been founded a thousand years ago, it would have broken up well before the Pilgrims.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "fissiparous" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com