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

• conflict
• disaccord
• discord
• discordance
• discordancy
• disharmony
• dissension
• dissention
• dissent
• dissidence
• dissonance
• disunion
• disunity
• division
• friction
• infighting
• inharmony
• strife
• variance
• war
• 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

Recent global events have made schisms between these countries and the West more pronounced. —Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024

The 1988 and 1984 divisions among Democrats were, however, minor matters compared to the schism of 1980. —Ron Elving, NPR, 3 Mar. 2024

That generational divide is leading to workplace schisms that are hurting productivity. —Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 26 Feb. 2024

Additionally, the schism between Prince Harry and his brother William has introduced further turmoil and sadness. —Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024

The schism within the organization came to a head last week when Chairperson Anna Zinkhon resigned. —Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2024

He is touted as one of the few figures with the broad appeal to bridge the many divisions in Palestinian politics, particularly the enduring schism between Fatah and Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza and led the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. —Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024

Episodes skip forward and backward, tracing the story of a tumultuous time and the ideological schisms that caused the Civil War and continued long after it. —Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2024

To Gregory, enforced retirement felt like a schism. —Graham Ward, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024

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

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