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
Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 21 May 2024
The republic tore itself asunder over slavery and conflicting views of the federal Union.
—David W. Blight, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020
After President Lyndon Johnson stepped aside, his Vice-President, Hubert Humphrey, inherited the chaos of a country and a Democratic Party torn asunder by Vietnam.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
Raised in a Somalia torn asunder by civil war and extremists increasingly gaining a foothold, Samia Yusuf Omar, an assertive, independent young woman, fights to realize her dream of becoming an Olympic athlete.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for asunder 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'asunder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near asunder
Cite this Entry
“Asunder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asunder. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
asunder
adverb or adjective
Share