as in divided
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as in separated
to set or force apart
disapproving parents who were willing to do anything to sever the young lovers
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Recent Examples of severed
Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The inciting incident for the new story comes after the principal of the high school receives a severed human finger in the mail, sending the parents into an uproar.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026
When a strange man lurks around the school asking supposedly innocent questions and the principal receives a severed human finger in the mail, the community is in an uproar.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Bianca De Marchi/AAP/via REUTERS Videos and photos obtained by local media have reportedly shown Baghsarian with serious injuries, including a severed finger.
—CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
The severed half plopped limply back into her bowl.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Why not cauterize a severed hand, add some just-for-fun cocktail rings, and then shatter the hand’s rigid bones with a hammer or mallet, which will allow the fingers to be wrapped around a colorful ceramic mug with a holly or mistletoe motif?
—Paul Rudnick, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Battlefield injuries, like severed limbs, are likewise rewarded with sums that most soldiers could not earn in regular jobs.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
The project, which was written by Cesar Vitale, winner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, follows a lonely woman (Alcock) who mistakenly receives a severed thumb in the mail.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Arkansas Online, 2 May 2026
While the agreements are unlikely to deliver immediate increases in production, they are designed to open pathways for investment and reestablish commercial ties severed during years of sanctions and political rupture.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Why else would the Herto Man specimens that Elema helped find have had their heads severed from their bodies and scalped?
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Above him, the attackers shattered monitors, severed electrical wires and smashed pipes.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
Alliances with neighbors and other democracies are severed.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Her arms and legs, which were severed above the elbows and knees, were in a separate trash bag, the report said.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The crew member severed multiple fingers during a recent accident involving a saw in a workshop at Sky Studios Elstree, where the film is currently in production, according to a report in Variety.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
The individual, understood to be working as a special effects technician, severed multiple fingers on one hand during an incident involving a saw in a workshop at Sky Studios Elstree, where the film is currently in production.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
According to the full plot description on Amazon, our protagonists have more to worry about than just severed fingers.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The inciting incident for the new story comes after the principal of the high school receives a severed human finger in the mail, sending the parents into an uproar.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026
When a strange man lurks around the school asking supposedly innocent questions and the principal receives a severed human finger in the mail, the community is in an uproar.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Bianca De Marchi/AAP/via REUTERS Videos and photos obtained by local media have reportedly shown Baghsarian with serious injuries, including a severed finger.
—CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
The severed half plopped limply back into her bowl.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Why not cauterize a severed hand, add some just-for-fun cocktail rings, and then shatter the hand’s rigid bones with a hammer or mallet, which will allow the fingers to be wrapped around a colorful ceramic mug with a holly or mistletoe motif?
—Paul Rudnick, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Battlefield injuries, like severed limbs, are likewise rewarded with sums that most soldiers could not earn in regular jobs.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
The project, which was written by Cesar Vitale, winner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, follows a lonely woman (Alcock) who mistakenly receives a severed thumb in the mail.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
In 1915, however, Carmichael severed ties with the university, after which the school operated as a private, non-accredited night school named the Arkansas Law School.
—Arkansas Online, 2 May 2026
While the agreements are unlikely to deliver immediate increases in production, they are designed to open pathways for investment and reestablish commercial ties severed during years of sanctions and political rupture.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Why else would the Herto Man specimens that Elema helped find have had their heads severed from their bodies and scalped?
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Above him, the attackers shattered monitors, severed electrical wires and smashed pipes.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
Alliances with neighbors and other democracies are severed.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Her arms and legs, which were severed above the elbows and knees, were in a separate trash bag, the report said.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The crew member severed multiple fingers during a recent accident involving a saw in a workshop at Sky Studios Elstree, where the film is currently in production, according to a report in Variety.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
The individual, understood to be working as a special effects technician, severed multiple fingers on one hand during an incident involving a saw in a workshop at Sky Studios Elstree, where the film is currently in production.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severed
Adjective
-
What makes this push even more troubling is that the current maps were not the product of an independent commission or a divided government.—
Dan Daley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
What makes this push even more troubling is that the current maps were not the product of an independent commission or a divided government.—
Dan Daley,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The neighborhood/area Amankora's lodges sit across five of Bhutan's most iconic valleys, carved into the eastern Himalayas and separated by high mountain passes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Data from Flightradar24 cited by ABC7 shows the planes were separated by about 475 feet vertically as their paths crossed.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lebanon’s fragile sovereignty The lack of resolved borders and Israel’s periodic incursions into southern Lebanon have predictably meant that Lebanon has struggled to assert sovereignty over its own territory.—
Mireille Rebeiz,
The Conversation,
8 Apr. 2026
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One quick concluding note: Like Bad Sisters, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has what feels to me like a pretty resolved (and effective) ending, especially given the amount of time Saoirse spends in the finale talking about the difficulties of writing endings for TV.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lubner said that as the industry contracted, many airlines pulled out of smaller, less profitable airports, leaving those communities disconnected.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The Arsenal manager invoked a bed of roses and the accompaniment of celestial music and formed an expression to suggest anyone expecting that was evidently disconnected from the reality of a Premier League title race.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Just look at Bindo’s neck, exposed by a parted curtain of hair, the feathery wisps of sideburn, the plump lips, the green eyes.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Faithe with her son, AydenAmanda Langston As the two parted ways, Amanda saw Faithe’s demeanor shift.—
Meghan O'Brien,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Six years of countersuits, appeals and legal wrangling followed, with suggestions that the only way to resolve the matter might be to split up the property, Texas Monthly reported.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
-
District lines fracture communities that share common needs and concerns — splitting two more counties and 14 more cities than our current map.—
Jon Harris Maurer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln, hoping to unite a sundered nation, issued a proclamation declaring Thanksgiving to be a national holiday.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
An absurdist black comedy that satirizes our culture's discomfort around uncoupled people, The Lobster asks what would happen if singles were given 45 days to find a mate, or be transformed into the animal of their choice.—
Ilana Gordon,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
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To prevent releasing any asbestos, whole sections of the old pipe are uncoupled from their connections without cutting.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Severed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severed. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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