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.
Economists are divided on the policy outlook, with some forecasting a rate hike in 2027 and others expecting rates to remain unchanged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
What was designed to ostensibly be a great equalizer has only divided the world more, making animosity easily accessible to anyone who gets their rocks off on sewing discourse through cruelty.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Inside Mohammed al-Fateh's bakery in Khartoum, workers mixed flour, water and yeast into a thick dough, which they divided into round discs and slid into the oven on long wooden paddles.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
The race, which ratcheted up when Pelosi bypassed Wiener to endorse Chan in May, just before the June primary, had divided the Democratic Party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Neel slipped behind the long sari that divided the room diagonally.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
