schism

noun

ˈsi-zəm  ˈski- 

also ˈshi-;

among clergy usually

ˈsi- 

1

: division, separation

also : discord, disharmony

a schism between political parties

2

a

: formal division in or separation from a church or religious body

b

: the offense of promoting schism

Synonyms of schism

• discord
• strife
• friction
• conflict
• war
• discordance
• dissent
• discordancy
• warfare

Examples of schism in a Sentence

a schism between leading members of the party

The church was divided by schism.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Nexstar-Tegna deal has also created a schism in conservative media, with Newsmax and One America News Network lobbying hard against the deal. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026

The schism surfaced in interviews the Union-Tribune did with nearly 30 veterans representing the Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force, men and women whose ages ranged from the early 30s to early 80s. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

Ferrante’s portrait of these schisms is exquisite, detailing all the jealousies and insecurities that can thrive in a friendship between two bright ambitious women. —Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026

The Defense Department’s reliance on Anthropic’s AI came as a shocking realization that ultimately led to their dramatic schism, according to a top Pentagon official. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English scisme, sisme, cisme "division in the church, dissension in belief, civil strife," borrowed from Anglo-French scisme, borrowed from Late Latin scisma, schisma "division of opinion, dissension in the church," borrowed from Greek schismat-, schísma "cleft, division, (New Testament) division of opinion," from schid-, stem of schízein "to split, separate" + -smat-, -sma, resultative noun suffix — more at shed entry 1

Note: As the spellings suggest, the Middle English and early Modern English pronunciation of this word was with initial [s] rather than [sk]. Hellenized spellings with initial sch- became general in the seventeenth century, though the old pronunciation with initial [s] has persisted until recently.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for schism

• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism
• anticommunism
• antisemitism
• antiterrorism
• bioterrorism
• colloquialism
• colonialism
• consequentialism
• contextualism
• conventionalism

Kids Definition

schism

noun

ˈsiz-əm  ˈskiz- 

1

a

: division sense 6, separation

b

: lack of harmony : discord

2

a

: division in or separation from a church or religious body

b

: the offense of promoting schism