as in divided
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in separated
to set or force apart
disapproving parents who were willing to do anything to sever the young lovers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
Police said the victim’s arm was nearly severed and was spewing blood after the attack.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Phillip Ortega, the housemate, was severed from the case against Winter’s parents after initially being grouped with them in charges; his partner was dropped from the murder case following a preliminary hearing in the summer of 2024.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
The instructor sustained a double fracture on one leg, the outlet reported, while Pethke's leg was severed.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
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
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
Airports themselves, liminal spaces that, normally, are pleasantly severed from the lurches of the world, spun out, too.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
Police said the victim’s arm was nearly severed and was spewing blood after the attack.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Phillip Ortega, the housemate, was severed from the case against Winter’s parents after initially being grouped with them in charges; his partner was dropped from the murder case following a preliminary hearing in the summer of 2024.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
The instructor sustained a double fracture on one leg, the outlet reported, while Pethke's leg was severed.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severed
Adjective
-
This means fixing our divided government and passing bipartisan legislation that everyone can agree on, instead of letting political conflicts stall lawmaking.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
We’re constantly told that the internet highlights our most selfish, divided or angry impulses.—
Simon Rogers,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In some cases, families were separated.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
This incident also led to Eckert and Hellberg nearly coming to blows before being separated by the fourth official.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
13 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
-
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
-
Bellingham looked sluggish and disconnected from his team-mates for most of the game.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
-
But more than anything, Bolles is authentic in a world that is disconnected by social media and polarized by politics.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Critics have argued the skyway makes the challenge of filling empty storefronts doubly difficult, as second-floor retail effectively splits a dwindling customer and retail base between two levels.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
-
By Mark O’Connell The conservative media commentator split with the administration over the war in Iran.—
Susan Dominus Dina Litovsky Mark O’Connell Lulu Garcia-Navarro Amy X. Wang Nitsuh Abebe Linda Kinstler Lisa Sanders, M.D. Kwame Anthony Appiah John Hodgman,
New York Times,
10 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
-
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 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
