Meanings
comparative more divisive · superlative most divisive
- Having a quality that divides or separates.
Rather than fostering unity, he becomes divisive.
1 more example
[W]hat a change has introduced itself everywhere into human affairs! [...] all is grown acrid, divisive, threatening dissolution; [...]
1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, chapter 6, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk), page 66Synonyms: disunifying, polarizing · Antonyms: unifying
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivedissenting (especially dissenting with the majority opinion)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindīvīsīvus
- Latindīvīsīvus
- Englishdivisive
Borrowed from Latin dīvīsīvus.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech rozdělující, kontroverzní
- rozdělujícíhaving a quality that divides or separates
- kontroverzníhaving a quality that divides or separates
- spory vyvolávajícíhaving a quality that divides or separates
- rozvratnýhaving a quality that divides or separates
Finnish erottava, hajottava
- erottavahaving a quality that divides or separates
- hajottavahaving a quality that divides or separates
- erimielisyyttä aiheuttavahaving a quality that divides or separates
- mielipiteitä jakavahaving a quality that divides or separates
French clivant
- clivanthaving a quality that divides or separates
German spaltend, entzweiend
- spaltendhaving a quality that divides or separates
- entzweiendhaving a quality that divides or separates
- teilendhaving a quality that divides or separates
Hungarian megosztó
- megosztóhaving a quality that divides or separates
Japanese 分割的な
- 分割的な (bunkatsuteki na)having a quality that divides or separates
Polish dzielący, rozdzielający
- dzielącyhaving a quality that divides or separates
- rozdzielającyhaving a quality that divides or separates
Russian раскольнический
- раскольнический (raskolʹničeskij)having a quality that divides or separates
Spanish divisivo
- divisivohaving a quality that divides or separates
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with divisive
All rhymes →Cite this entry
divisive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/divisive
“divisive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/divisive. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “divisive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/divisive.
Source: divisive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.