velvet divorce

noun

A non-violent separation of formerly united nations, especially the one which occurred when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

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Meanings

nounvelvet divorce (plural velvet divorces)

plural velvet divorces

  1. A non-violent separation of formerly united nations, especially the one which occurred when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

Origin

Originally with reference to the separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, by analogy with the Velvet Revolution (Czech: sametová revoluce) of 1989.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

velvet divorce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/velvet%20divorce

MLA

“velvet divorce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/velvet%20divorce. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “velvet divorce,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/velvet%20divorce.

Source: velvet divorce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.