asunder
adverb or adjective
Charles Dickens
Did you know?
To get to the root of today’s word, it helps to take it apart and focus on the sunder. You see, asunder comes from the verb sunder, which means "to break apart" or "to become parted, disunited, or severed." Both words come from the Old English word sundor, meaning "apart." The adverbial "into parts" sense of asunder is often used in the phrase "tear asunder," which can be used both literally (as in "fabric torn asunder") and, more often, figuratively (as in "a community torn asunder by the dispute"). The adjectival "apart from each other" sense can be found in the phrase "poles asunder," used to describe two things that are as vastly far apart as the poles of the Earth.
Examples of asunder in a Sentence
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
This week, another late-night TV show was struck asunder, the Fed lowered interest rates and a new American Girl doll debuted.
—Holly J. Morris, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
No engulfment, no tearing asunder.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
That is perhaps the rousing central argument, even reassurance, of One Battle After Another: that all around us people are working to help one another, that there is a communal bond which no repressive government can truly understand or tear asunder.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for asunder
Cite this Entry
“Asunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asunder. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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asunder
adverb or adjective
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