Synonyms of sunder

sunder

verb

ˈsən-dər 

as in to divide

to set or force apart

during the cold war East and West Berlin were sundered by an impenetrable wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• divide
• separate
• split
• disconnect
• sever
• resolve
• dissever
• disunite
• dissociate
• disjoin
• divorce
• uncouple
• pull
• disassociate
• ramify
• unlink
• disjoint
• detach
• decouple
• isolate
• cleave
• unyoke
• break up
• part
• decompose
• dissect
• dissolve
• subdivide
• disintegrate
• fragment
• rend
• rip
• tear
• bifurcate
• bisect
• halve
• partition
• segment
• quarter
• disassemble
• break down
• segregate
• dichotomize
• break
• fractionate
• rupture
• rift
• fracture
• unravel
• cut off
• disengage
• untie
• rive
• fractionalize
• fragmentate
• insulate
• trisect
• seclude
• sequester
• disentangle
• fragmentize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unite
• join
• unify
• link
• combine
• mix
• assemble
• associate
• mingle
• couple
• blend
• connect
• bind
• attach
• close
• stick
• fasten
• fuse
• accumulate
• knit
• weld
• cement
• agglutinate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sunder distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of sunder are divide, divorce, part, separate, and sever. While all these words mean "to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed," sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

a city sundered by racial conflict

When is it sensible to use divide instead of sunder?

The words divide and sunder can be used in similar contexts, but divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

civil war divided the nation

When would divorce be a good substitute for sunder?

The words divorce and sunder are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

When can part be used instead of sunder?

The synonyms part and sunder are sometimes interchangeable, but part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

vowed never to part

When is separate a more appropriate choice than sunder?

Although the words separate and sunder have much in common, separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.

separated her personal life from her career

Where would sever be a reasonable alternative to sunder?

The meanings of sever and sunder largely overlap; however, sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

a severed limb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sunder

How many lives have been lost, people injured, families sundered? —Kevin Sabet, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025

Moore and Prater sundered their professional relationship in 1970. —Chris Morris, Variety, 11 Jan. 2025

Is Theodor Kramer’s poem another means of exploring the way ordinary life can suddenly be sundered? —Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024

Political disputes have sundered families ‒ some siblings are no longer talking ‒ and heartless or thoughtless social media posts can bring people to tears. —Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2024