asunder
/ə'sʌndə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adverb:
- Into parts or pieces; apart: Describes something being separated, divided, or torn into distinct pieces or sections, often with force or violence.
- Widely separated, especially in space: Describes things positioned far apart from each other.
Usage
- Asunder is a formal or literary word. It is typically used to describe a forceful or complete separation, often of something that was once whole.
- It commonly follows verbs like , , , , , , , or .
- It can describe both physical separation (into pieces) and metaphorical separation (e.g., of people, families, or ideas).
Examples
- Adverb:
- The explosion tore the building asunder. (The explosion separated the building into pieces.)
- The civil war tore the nation asunder. (The civil war divided the nation completely.)
- The old ship was split asunder by the storm. (The storm broke the old ship apart.)
- Their views on the matter are poles asunder. (Their opinions on this issue are completely different/widely separated.)
Advanced Usage
- "to fall asunder": to fall apart, to disintegrate.
- Without trust, the agreement will fall asunder.
- "to break asunder": to break apart, to shatter.
- The chains broke asunder with a loud crack.
- "to be torn asunder": to be violently ripped apart (used both literally and figuratively).
- Families were torn asunder by the conflict.
Variants and Related Words
- Apart (adverb): Into pieces or parts; separated by a distance. (A more common synonym.)
- Sunder (verb, archaic): To split apart. (This is the root verb from which "asunder" is derived.)
Synonyms
- Apart
- Into pieces
- To shreds
- To bits
Related Phrases
- "Poles asunder": An idiom meaning "completely opposite" or "widely different." It is a variant of "poles apart."
- Their political ideologies are poles asunder.
Adjective
- widely separated especially in space
- as wide asunder as pole from pole
Adverb
- into parts or pieces
- he took his father's watch apart
- split apart
- torn asunder