schism

[ siz-uhm, skiz- ]

/ ˈsɪz əm, ˈskɪz- /

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Definition of schism

noun

division or disunion, especially into mutually opposed parties.

the parties so formed.

Ecclesiastical.

a formal division within, or separation from, a church or religious body over some doctrinal difference.
the state of a sect or body formed by such division.
the offense of causing or seeking to cause such a division.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM schism

schismless, adjective

Words nearby schism

Schipa, schipperke, Schippers, Schirmer, Schirra, schism, schismatic, schismatist, schismatize, schist, schistose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use schism in a sentence

The schism within the GOP makes it all the more difficult to mobilize public opinion against Afghan refugees.
Americans Have A Long History Of Opposing Refugees. But Most Support Afghan Asylum Seekers.|Michael Tesler|September 8, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
The position reaffirmed their own validity — and their own authority — among a world of competing voices, as society fractured into increasingly numerous schisms during the 1960s.
Even LDS leaders are struggling to get Mormons vaccinated against the coronavirus|Benjamin Park|August 24, 2021|Washington Post
She’s got so much on her shoulders and a real schism within her.
Filming ‘The Underground Railroad’ was grueling. But the cast grasped ‘the weight of what we were doing.’|Stuart Miller|May 13, 2021|Washington Post
“There’s a schism in our picture of the world, and this is bridging that gap,” said Leron Borsten, a physicist at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
How Gravity Is a Double Copy of Other Forces|Charlie Wood|May 4, 2021|Quanta Magazine

To see that schism playing out in companies’ bottom lines, just compare the results of struggling fashion retailers like Banana Republic, Macy’s or Nordstrom with those of those of Lululemon Athleta or Old Navy.
From pet adoptions to D.I.Y. home improvement to sweatpants: 10 COVID-fueled consumer trends that will endure|Phil Wahba|December 20, 2020|Fortune
Aberdeen, perched on the North Sea, offers a perfect example of the schism between the top and bottom earners.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality|Noah Caldwell|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The schism in Wisconsin was the first crack in the Republican Party's hegemony.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics|Michael Wolraich|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, journalists reached back to an earlier Republican schism from the days of Ulysses S. Grant.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics|Michael Wolraich|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those are all products of political systems gone badly awry—through schism, invasion, or breakdown.
Daenerys Goes to Washington: The Modern Politics of ‘Game of Thrones’|Jedediah Purdy|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the House of Israel, such authenticity has posed the threat of a schism, between Israel and Diaspora.
Will Women MKs Lead The New Israel?|Paul Usiskin|March 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
More than this, Jacobitism brought the National Church into peril of downright schism.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
Even Bishop Ken said of him that he showed zeal to make the schism incurable.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
This latter party had been rent asunder by the nonjuring schism.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
The schism was not confined to the narrow limits of the Byzantine empire.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon
So ended the schism; and Bernard left Rome within five days after finishing his work.
The World's Greatest Books, Vol X|Various

British Dictionary definitions for schism

schism

/ (ˈskɪzəm, ˈsɪz-) /

noun

the division of a group into opposing factions

the factions so formed

division within or separation from an established Church, esp the Roman Catholic Church, not necessarily involving differences in doctrine

Word Origin for schism

C14: from Church Latin schisma, from Greek skhisma a cleft, from skhizein to split

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

Cultural definitions for schism

schism

[ (siz-uhm, skiz-uhm) ]

A break within a church, such as the division between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

schism

Definition of schism

Origin of schism

OTHER WORDS FROM schism

Words nearby schism

Words related to schism

How to use schism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for schism

Word Origin for schism

Cultural definitions for schism