Definition

Noun: The act or process of uniting separate parts, groups, or territories back into a single entity after a period of division or separation.

Usage

"Reunification" is used to describe the political, social, or familial process of bringing together entities that were once one but had been split apart. It often carries a formal or historical connotation.

Examples

• The reunification of Germany in 1990 was a pivotal moment in modern European history.
• After the civil war, the country's primary goal was national reunification.
• The social worker facilitated the reunification of the child with her birth parents.

Advanced Usage

• "Reunification of...": This is the standard collocation used to specify what is being united (e.g., reunification of a country, a family, a company).
  • The long-term policy aims at the peaceful reunification of the peninsula.

Variants and Related Words

• Reunify (verb): To bring (parts) together again into a unified whole.
  • The leaders sought to reunify the divided nation.
• Reunite (verb): To come or bring together again after a separation. (This is more general and can apply to people, groups, or things).
  • The siblings were reunited after decades apart.

Synonyms

• Reunion: The act or an instance of reuniting. (Often used for people or social gatherings).
• Reintegration: The process of restoring unity or making part of a whole again.
• Reconciliation: The restoration of friendly relations. (Focuses more on resolving differences than on structural union).

Antonyms

• Division
• Partition
• Secession
• Separation

Notes

While "reunification" and "unification" are related, they are not identical. Unification refers to the act of making separate entities into one for the first time or into a new whole (e.g., the unification of Italy in the 19th century). Reunification specifically implies restoring a previous unity that was lost.

Noun

1. the act of coming together again
   • monetary unification precipitated the reunification of the German state in October 1990