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
Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
Two years ago, an Indian man was left to die after his right arm was severed from heavy machinery at a melon greenhouse.
—Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 4 June 2026
Jamaica, Guyana, Guatemala and even Venezuela – which has seen by far the largest deployment of Cuban doctors in the past 20 years – have also severed or are in the process of cancelling their contracts with the Cuban medical missions.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Her fiction concentrates thematically upon the emotional and psychological currents traversing the bonds across lineages — whether those connections are well-wrought, addled, severed, or unknown — and the fraught business of familial inheritance.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
When tube feet were severed, the wound margin was a mess of missing or fragmented epidermal and connective tissue.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
The agency, which also serves Milpitas, Cupertino and Saratoga, has since severed ties with the rescue, according to Deputy Director Monica Wylie.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
Hart landed on his back inside the ring, a fall that severed his aorta and filled his lungs with blood.
—Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Charles severed all ties to the Peaky Blinders gang, and the hedonistic Shelby lifestyle.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 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
Strikingly, 12 of those orders were issued since 2019, and 11 of them severed contact between mothers and their children.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
Two years ago, an Indian man was left to die after his right arm was severed from heavy machinery at a melon greenhouse.
—Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 4 June 2026
Jamaica, Guyana, Guatemala and even Venezuela – which has seen by far the largest deployment of Cuban doctors in the past 20 years – have also severed or are in the process of cancelling their contracts with the Cuban medical missions.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Her fiction concentrates thematically upon the emotional and psychological currents traversing the bonds across lineages — whether those connections are well-wrought, addled, severed, or unknown — and the fraught business of familial inheritance.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
When tube feet were severed, the wound margin was a mess of missing or fragmented epidermal and connective tissue.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
The agency, which also serves Milpitas, Cupertino and Saratoga, has since severed ties with the rescue, according to Deputy Director Monica Wylie.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
Hart landed on his back inside the ring, a fall that severed his aorta and filled his lungs with blood.
—Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Charles severed all ties to the Peaky Blinders gang, and the hedonistic Shelby lifestyle.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severed
Adjective
-
His attention is very much divided.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
11 June 2026
-
It won’t be known until November whether the next governor will be working with a divided Legislature, but several of Klobuchar’s proposals thus far have pulled ideas from existing bipartisan efforts at the Legislature.—
Mary Murphy,
Twin Cities,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The Grossmans were separated at the time of the fatal crash.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
McComb and Van Der Beek separated in 2009 and finalized their divorce in 2010.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
10 June 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
-
A lot of older people at studios are making greenlighting decisions, and they are disconnected from the audience.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
Once those systems are disconnected, even power that arrives later may no longer reach the areas where it is needed most.—
Sufan Jiang,
Fortune,
30 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
-
The jackpot hasn’t been hit in more than a month, rolling over since May 2, when tickets in Texas and Florida split a $20 million prize.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
-
The Stanley Cup Final shifted to Las Vegas for Game 3 with the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes knotted at 1-1 after splitting the opening two games in Raleigh.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 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 13 Jun. 2026.
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