Standard Lemma guide

sunder

adj · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈsʌndɚ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌndə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH1 N D ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Sundry; separate; different.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a separation into parts; a division or severance

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To break or separate or to break apart, especially with force.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To part, separate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To expose to the sun and wind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dated, dialectal, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

break apart or in two, using violence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: break up, fragment, fragmentize, fragmentise

History

Etymology

From Middle English sunder, from Old English sundor- (“separate, different”), from Proto-Germanic *sundraz (“isolated, particular, alone”), from Proto-Indo-European *snter-, *seni-, *senu-, *san- (“apart, without, for oneself”). Cognate with Old Saxon sundar (“particular, special”), Dutch zonder (“without”), German sonder- (“special”), German sondern (“to separate, set apart”), Old Norse sundr (“separate”), Danish sønder (“apart, asunder”), Latin sine (“without”).

From Middle English sundren (“to separate, part, divide”), from Old English sundrian (“to separate, split, part, divide”), from Proto-Germanic *sundrōną (“to separate”), from Proto-Indo-European *sen(e)- (“separate, without”). Cognate with Scots sinder, sunder (“to separate, divide, split up”), Dutch zonderen (“to isolate”), German sondern (“to separate”), Swedish söndra (“to divide”). More at sundry.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: разделям (razdeljam) — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Bulgarian: разединявам (razedinjavam) — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Czech: rozdělit — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Czech: dělit — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Czech: rozštěpit — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Czech: štěpit — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Czech: rozpoltit — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Dutch: breken — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Dutch: uiteendrijven — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Finnish: jakaa — to break or separate or to break apart
  • French: rompre — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Italian: spezzare — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Latin: sēcernō — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Polish: rozbijać — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Polish: rozbić — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Russian: разделя́ть (razdeljátʹ) — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Russian: разлучать (razlučatʹ) — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Spanish: partir — to break or separate or to break apart
  • Bulgarian: разделям се (razdeljam se) — to part
  • Czech: rozdělit se — to part
  • Czech: dělit se — to part
  • Dutch: scheiden — to part
  • Polish: rozpadać się — to part
  • Polish: rozpaść się — to part
  • Russian: расстава́ться (rasstavátʹsja) — to part
  • Spanish: partirse — to part
Real reading context

sunder in complete knowledge articles