Word.ws English Dictionary

asunder

Syllables: asun·der/əˈsʌndə//əˈsʌndəɹ/

asunder adverb: apart or separate from each other.

asunder: apart or separate from each other
Image: Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adverb

asunder (comparative more asunder, superlative most asunder)

  1. (archaic, literary) Apart or separate from each other.
    • Page. I vvarrant you, hee's the man ſhould fight vvith him. / […] [Robert] Shal[low]. It appeares ſo by his vveapons: keep them aſunder: […]c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • Heer's a coyle to keep fire and tovv a ſunder.1611, Thomas Heywood, The Golden Age, or The Liues of Jupiter and Saturne, with the Defining of the Heathen Gods. […], London: […] [Nicholas Okes] for William Barrenger, […], →OCLC, Act IV, signature...
  2. (archaic, literary) Moving apart from each other.
    • Our hartes ſwelled, as that they ſhoulde breake / The fire of loue, was ſo ſore kept vnder / When I from her, ſhoulde departe aſundera. 1506 (date written), Stephen Hawes, “Of the Dolorous and Lowly Disputation, betwene La Bell Pucell, and Graunde Amoure. [Capitu[lum] .XIX.]”, in The Historie of Graunde Amoure and La Bell Pucel...
    • Thoughe the lordes departed euery daye vnagreed⸝ yet they departed a ſõder [a sonder] right amiably⸝ for euery daye they poynted to mete agayne the nexte day⸝ bothe parties truſtyng at laſt to cõclude [conclude] on ſome good poynt.1524 March 20 (date written; Gregorian calendar), John Froissart [i.e., Jean Froissart], “Of the Great Assemble that was Made at Amyence⸝ of the Frenche Kynge and His Counsayle⸝ and of the Kynge of...
  3. (also, archaic, figuratively, literary) Into separate parts or pieces, often due to some violent action.
    • to crack asunder torn asunder
    • And he [Judas Iscariot] hath nowe poſſeſſed a plott of grounde with the rewarde off iniquyte. And when he was hanged⸝ braſt [burst] a ſondre in the myddes⸝ and all his bowels guſſhed out.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Actes off the Apostles j:[18], folios cliiij, recto – cliiij, verso
    Synonyms:
    apart, in twain
  4. (archaic, literary, obsolete) Apart from other people; individually, separately; specifically, in private, privately.
    • […] I was of the ſame Jeſus Chriſt inſtitute: ſo this préeminence may I lawfully chalenge, that Chriſt choſe them, what tyme he was to our bodily infirmities ſubiect, but me called to be a ſondre to be his preacher, what tyme he had put of all condicions of mannes weakenes.1549 August 26 (Gregorian calendar), Erasmus, “The Paraphrase vpon the Epistle of the Apostle Sainct Paule to the Galathians. […]. The fyrst Chapiter.”, in Myles Coverdall [i.e., Myles Coverdale]...
    • [I]t vvas Employment enough for us to keep them [the prisoners] aſſunder, and ſupply them vvith Victuals.1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 321
  5. (archaic, literary, obsolete) Chiefly in the form to know asunder: in a manner distinguishable from other similar things.
    • Ye summond our kynge,—why dyd ye so? / […] / Know ye not suger and salt asonder? / Your sumner to saucy, to malapert, / Your harrold in armes not yet halfe experte.c. 1525, John Skelton, “Skelton Laureate against the Scottes”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 185...
    • Foure ſorts of Marle be found in this VVeald, knovvne aſunder by the difference of colours, and thereby alſo differing in degrees of goodneſſe one from the other: […]1625, attributed to Gervase Markham, “A Discourse of the Weald of Kent; and a Comparison of the Arable Lands therein, with the Other Parts of the Shire: Together with Some Necessary Counsels for the...

Adjective

asunder (comparative more asunder, superlative most asunder)

  1. (archaic, literary, obsolete) Different, unlike.
    • Moth[er]: I cannot blame thee. / But it greeues thee more that Villaine liues. / Iul[iet]: VVhat Villaine Madame? / Moth: That Villaine Romeo. / Iul: Villaine and he are manie miles a ſunder.c. 1591–1595 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] Romeo and Juliet. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, published 1597, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v], signature [G5], recto

Verb

asunder (third-person singular simple present asunders, present participle asundering, simple past and past participle asundered)

  1. (archaic, literary, transitive) To set apart (one or more people or things) from other people or things; to put asunder, to separate, to sunder.
    • A plough beetle, ploughſtaff, to further the plough, / great clod to a ſunder that breaketh ſo rough: […]1580, Thomas Tusser, “A Digression to Husbandlie Furniture”, in Fiue Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie: […], London: […] Henrie Denham [beeing the assigne of William Seres] […], →OCLC, stanza 10...
    • Thou could not be perſvvaded that my vvittes / Could once retire ſo farre from ſence aſondred, […]1593, Barnabe Barnes, “[Elegies] Elegie II”, in Parthenophil and Parthenophe. Sonnettes, Madrigals, Elegies and Odes. […], [London]: [John Wolfe], →OCLC, page 76

asunder meaning in Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada

asunder in Urdu

علیحدہ, جدا

asunder in Bengali

টুকরো টুকরো, পৃথক

asunder in Malayalam

കഷണംകഷണമായി

asunder in Kannada

ಬೇರಾಗಿ, ತುಂಡು ತುಂಡಾಗಿ
More languagesFewer languages
asunder in Sanskrit
वि vi
asunder in Arabic
إِرْباً ʔirban

Examples of asunder in a sentence

  • He deſired I vvould ſtand like a Coloſſus, vvith my Legs as far aſunder as I conveniently could.1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Diverts the Emperor and His Nobility of Both Sexes in a Very Uncommon Manner. […]”, in...
  • Though such a potent spell seemed secretly to join the twain; openly, and to the awe-struck crew, they seemed pole-like asunder.1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The Hat”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London...
  • I humbly thanke your Highneſſe, / And am right glad to catch this good occaſion / Moſt throughly to be vvinnovved, vvhere my Chaffe / And Corne ſhall flye aſunder.1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William...
  • Lochiel thrust himself between the combatants, and, while forcing them asunder, received a wound which was at first believed to be mortal.1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XVI, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London...

All 13 example sentences with asunder

Synonyms of asunder

All synonyms of asunder

Forms of asunder

Adverb
comparativemore asunder
superlativemost asunder
alternative formasundre
alternative forminsunder
Adjective
comparativemore asunder
superlativemost asunder
Verb
third-person singular presentasunders
present participleasundering
past participleasundered
pastasundered

Origin of asunder

From Middle English asunder, asonder (“apart in position, distant; apart in movement; to pieces; alone, separately; distinct in kind, different”), asondri (“distinct, separate”), onsunder, onsondre (“apart, asunder; alone, separately; especially, particularly (?)”), from Old English onsundrum, on sundur (“asunder, apart, privately”), probably from on- (prefix meaning ‘on, upon’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“on, onto”)) + sundor, sunder (“alone, apart; separately; privately”) (from Proto-West Germanic *sundr, from Proto-Germanic *sundraz (“alone, separate”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *senH- (“apart; for oneself; without”)). By surface analysis, a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’ denoting a condition, manner, or state) + sunder (“(obsolete except dialectal) different; separate”). cognates * Danish sønder * Dutch zonder * Faroese sundur * German sonder * Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍂𐍉 (sundrō) * Icelandic sundur * Norwegian Bokmål sunder, sønder * Swedish sönder

From Middle English asondren (“to alienate; to separate; to depart; to part company; to disappear”), from Old English asundran, āsundrian (“to disjoin; to separate; to sunder, put asunder; to sever”) (possibly influenced by onsundrum (adverb): see etymology 1), from ā- (prefix meaning ‘away; from’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *úd (“away; out”)) + sundrian (“to separate, sunder”) (from Proto-Germanic *sundrōną (“to separate, sunder”), from *sundraz (“alone, separate”) (see further at etymology 1) + *-ōną (suffix forming factitive verbs from adjectives)).

Words formed from asunder

Phrases with asunder

Words that rhyme with asunder

2 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about asunder

What does asunder mean?
Asunder means apart or separate from each other.
What is asunder in Urdu?
Asunder in Urdu is علیحدہ, جدا. See Asunder meaning in Urdu.
How do you use asunder in a sentence?
He deſired I vvould ſtand like a Coloſſus, vvith my Legs as far aſunder as I conveniently could.
What part of speech is asunder?
Asunder can be an adverb, an adjective or a verb.
How do you pronounce asunder?
Asunder is pronounced /əˈsʌndə/ (UK).

Words near asunder in the dictionary

  1. Asuka
  2. asulam
  3. asun
  4. asunaprevir
  5. Asunción
  6. asunder
  7. asundered
  8. asundering
  9. asunderness
  10. asunders
  11. asundre

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: asunder (page history and authors); asunder (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); asunder (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); asunder (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); asunder (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-asunder.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-asunder.wav.

Cite this entry: “asunder.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/asunder. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.