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
part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.
vowed never to part
divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.
civil war divided the nation
sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.
a severed limb
sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.
a city sundered by racial conflict
divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.
cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility
Example Sentences
a family sundered by scandal during the cold war East and West Berlin were sundered by an impenetrable wall
Recent Examples on the WebBut Wu worries that Beijing’s anger toward Pelosi’s visit may sunder the delicate connections between Taiwan’s business and political elite and mainland leaders. Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2022 According to the WeChat users group, Trump’s Aug. 6 order would sunder the primary and often exclusive channel many U.S. residents use to communicate with family and friends in both China and the U.S. Edvard Pettersson, Bloomberg.com, 16 Sep. 2020 Cherry told other stories from that time: affairs, gruesome deaths, hearts sundered by grief. D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2019 During that time friendships have been sundered, garments rended, pearls clutched and block buttons exhausted. Eamon Lynch, Golfweek, 4 Feb. 2020 The glow faded when the Iraq war sundered Mr Blair from the French and the Germans.The Economist, 15 Aug. 2019 The unprotected noticed, and began to sunder their relationship with establishments and elites. Peggy Noonan, WSJ, 14 Feb. 2019 These practices were sundered with the ascension of Donald J. Trump to the presidency.New York Times, 3 July 2018 Bob Corker and Lindsey Graham are working on an alternative that would send a message to the Saudis without sundering the relationship. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2018 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English gesundrian, syndrian; akin to Old High German suntarōn to sunder, Old English sundor apart, Latin sine without, Sanskrit sanutar away
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of sunder was before the 12th century