severed
Americanadjective
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separated from the whole or divided into parts, as by cutting or the like.
The severed cables belonged to two internet companies.
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(of ties or a relationship) broken off or dissolved.
One of the greatest tragedies we see in our work is the severed relationships between those in need and their family and friends.
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Law. (of an estate, titles of a statute, etc.) divided into parts.
A practice known as severed property, or split estates, allows developers to keep or obtain mineral rights underneath privately owned land.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of severed
Explanation
Something severed is cut off from its whole. A severed rope turns into two detached and individual pieces. In a severed relationship, people lose communication with one another. To be severed is to be separated completely. Think of a tree branch being cut away from its trunk, or a connection being broken between two friends. The word comes from the Latin separare, meaning "to separate or pull apart." The adjective can refer to physical objects, like ropes or limbs, or to relationships and ties, such as friendships or contracts.
Vocabulary lists containing severed
Phineas Gage
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Compound Fracture
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The Black Girl Survives in This One
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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.
When the agency tried to activate a backup fiber optic line, it discovered the cable had been severed during construction in New Jersey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
But then in 2024, The Daily Wire announced it had severed ties with Owens.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
HTS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, was al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until Sharaa severed ties with the jihadist network in 2016.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Dozens of mostly smaller law enforcement agencies have severed their ties to Flock in recent months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
It was a serious one, but the knowledge of medicine and anatomy I'd absorbed willy-nilly in Dr. Bright's service told me that no artery had been severed.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
