schism
Americannoun
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division or disunion, especially into mutually opposed parties.
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the parties so formed.
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Ecclesiastical.
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a formal division within, or separation from, a church or religious body over some doctrinal difference.
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the state of a sect or body formed by such division.
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the offense of causing or seeking to cause such a division.
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noun
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the division of a group into opposing factions
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the factions so formed
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division within or separation from an established Church, esp the Roman Catholic Church, not necessarily involving differences in doctrine
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of schism
1350–1400; < Late Latin (Vulgate) sc ( h ) isma (stem sc ( h ) ismat- ) < Greek, derivative of schízein to split, with -ma (stem -mat- ) noun suffix of result; replacing Middle English ( s ) cisme, sisme < Middle French < Late Latin, as above
Explanation
The sound of the word schism reminds some people of the sound of a piece of paper being torn in two; which makes sense — when a group has a big fight and the group is torn in two, that's a schism. Although the Spanish club could have a schism over taco night versus tamale fest, schism often refers to splits in the church. You might have heard of the Great Schism of 1054, when the eastern Christian church, headquartered in Byzantium (now Istanbul), broke away from the western one headquartered in Rome.
Vocabulary lists containing schism
100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "Q" "R" and "S"
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Gulliver's Travels
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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.
The scientists watching this schism aren’t sure why things became so belligerent.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
The schism between low-cost items and new premium ones, such as the Big Arch, helps explain what fueled Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski’s viral moment a few weeks ago.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
How to handle inside information is already generating a schism in the prediction-market world.
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
Does it reflect a schism within the military over its propriety?
From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025
And of all the gods who might help them, the only ones not affected by the Greek-Roman schism seemed to be Aphrodite, Nemesis, and Dionysus.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
