divisive C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction US /dɪˈvaɪsɪv/ UK /dɪˈvaɪsɪv/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people The proposal proved deeply divisive among the town's residents. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · tending to cause... discordantdisruptivecontentiousfactionalalienatingschismatic ↔ Opposites unifyingunitingconciliatoryharmoniouscohesive Word family Derived forms divisivelydivisiveness Related forms dividedivisiondivisibledivisor Etymology AI details From Latin divisus, past participle of dividere ('to divide'), plus the suffix -ive; the sense 'causing division' arose from the notion of splitting apart. divisus Latin dividere Latin *weidh- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # divisive **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /dɪˈvaɪsɪv/ **IPA (UK):** /dɪˈvaɪsɪv/ ## Meanings 1. tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people ## Examples - The proposal proved deeply divisive among the town's residents. ## Synonyms - discordant - disruptive - contentious - factional - alienating - schismatic ## Antonyms - unifying - uniting - conciliatory - harmonious - cohesive ## Derived Forms - divisively - divisiveness ## Related Forms - divide - division - divisible - divisor ## Roots and Affixes - Root: divisus - Root: dividere - Root: *weidh- ## Etymology From Latin divisus, past participle of dividere ('to divide'), plus the suffix -ive; the sense 'causing division' arose from the notion of splitting apart. ## AI Etymology Divisive comes from Latin divisus, past participle of dividere ('to divide'), plus the suffix -ive; the sense 'causing division' arose from the notion of splitting apart. The etymological trail includes Latin divisus, Latin dividere, and Proto-Indo-European *weidh-. As an adjective, divisive describes what is tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people. The same family is visible in derived forms such as divisively and divisiveness and related forms such as divide, division, divisible, and divisor. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history. ## Topics - Space, Position & Direction - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown