divorce

divorce — noun

1. a legal procedure that officially ends a marriage between two people

1.nounB1
Definition

a legal procedure that officially ends a marriage between two people

Example

After twenty years of marriage, Layla and her husband decided to file for divorce.

file for divorce — legal collocation

The divorce rate in Japan has been rising steadily since the 1990s.

Common collocations
  • file for divorce
  • divorce rate
  • divorce proceedings
  • bitter divorce
  • get a divorce
  • divorce settlement
  • go through a divorce
Synonyms
  • dissolution

    more formal and technical, often used in legal documents

  • split-up

    informal, used mainly in everyday conversation

  • annulment

    a different legal procedure that declares the marriage invalid from the start

Antonyms
  • marriage

    the legal union that divorce ends

Grammar Patterns

divorce (uncountable, general concept)

a divorce (countable, specific case)

file for divorce

get a divorce

Usage Note

Countable when referring to a specific legal case ('get a divorce'); uncountable when speaking about the general concept ('divorce is common these days').

Common Mistakes

They filed a divorce.
They filed for divorce.
The standard legal collocation uses 'file for', not 'file a'.
The couple went to divorce.
The couple went through a divorce.
'go through a divorce' is the natural expression.

2. a situation in which two things or groups that were once closely connected drift

2.nounB2
Definition

a situation in which two things or groups that were once closely connected drift apart or become separated from each other

Example

The report highlights a dangerous divorce between scientific research and public trust.

divorce between X and Y — figurative pattern

There is a growing divorce between what politicians promise and what they actually deliver.

Common collocations
  • growing divorce
  • total divorce
  • divorce between X and Y
  • divorce of X from Y
Synonyms
  • gap

    less formal, suggests a difference rather than a complete break

  • rift

    suggests hostility or conflict, not just distance

  • severance

    more formal, implies a deliberate cutting of ties

Antonyms
  • connection

    the link that divorce breaks

  • unity

    the state of being joined that divorce ends

Grammar Patterns

divorce between X and Y

Usage Note

Used in formal or analytical writing. Common in the pattern 'divorce between X and Y', where X and Y are abstract nouns that were formerly connected.

Common Mistakes

There is a divorce of the two ideas.
There is a divorce between the two ideas.
The correct preposition is 'between', not 'of', when listing both elements.

3. an unmarried man whose previous marriage was terminated by a legal divorce

3.nounC1
Definition

an unmarried man whose previous marriage was terminated by a legal divorce

Example

The new tenant in apartment 3B is a divorce in his late sixties.

Her uncle was a divorce who lived alone with his dog in rural Wisconsin.

Synonyms
  • divorcé

    the French loanword with an accent, considered more refined and less dated

  • divorced man

    the modern, neutral way to express this meaning

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a divorce

Usage Note

This sense is somewhat dated. In everyday modern English, 'a divorced man' or simply describing the person's marital status with the adjective 'divorced' is much more natural. Some speakers may consider 'a divorce' (sense 3) old-fashioned or awkward.

Common Mistakes

She is a divorce.
She is a divorcée' or 'a divorced woman.
'Divorce' (sense 3) only refers to a man.

divorce — verb

Word family

  • divorced
    adjectiveB1
  • divorcee
    nounB2
  • divorcé
    nounC1
  • divorcée
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four words describe the end of a relationship, their legal and emotional weight differs. 'Divorce' is the standard term for legally ending a marriage. 'Dissolution' is a formal, legal synonym used in court documents and official contexts — it can also apply to ending a business partnership. 'Annulment' is a distinct legal procedure that declares a marriage invalid from the beginning, as if it never existed; it is much rarer than divorce. 'Separation' may be a temporary or permanent arrangement where a couple lives apart without legally ending the marriage. 'Split-up' is informal and can refer to any romantic relationship, not just marriage. For example: 'After a bitter divorce, she kept the house.' 'The court granted the dissolution of their marriage on grounds of irreconcilable differences.' 'The Catholic Church granted an annulment, allowing her to remarry in the church.' 'They agreed on a legal separation rather than a full divorce.' 'Liam and Reema had a quiet split-up after three years together.'

dissolution ↗annulmentseparation ↗split-up

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'divorce' entered English in the late 14th century from Old French 'divorce', which came from the Latin 'divortium' meaning 'a separation, a turning aside'. The Latin root 'divortium' was formed from 'divertere' (to turn in different directions), from 'dis-' (apart) and 'vertere' (to turn). The literal picture is of two people turning away from each other and going separate ways — which closely matches the modern meaning.