separated

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive or intransitive

   Divided or pulled apart, or kept from being joined together.

   Grammar: Takes an object when someone does the action: she separated the eggs; no object when things come apart: the paths separated.

   Patterns

   • separated something from something
   • separated into something

   The teacher separated the two talkative students.

   She separated the eggs and kept the whites.

   The group separated into three teams.

2. 2adjectivecomparable

   Set apart from something else, with space or a barrier between.

   Grammar: Often followed by from or by: separated from the main building; separated by a river.

   Patterns

   • separated from something
   • separated by something

   The two villages are separated by a wide river.

   The kitchen is separated from the dining room by a thin wall.

   Separated for years, the twins finally met again.

3. 3adjectivenot comparable

   No longer living with a husband, wife or partner, but not legally divorced.

   Grammar: Describes a person: he is separated; not very separated.

   Patterns

   • be separated from someone
   • separated for six months

   They have been separated since last spring.

   She is separated from her husband but not yet divorced.

   A separated couple may still share the house.

Common combinations

separated by

The two towns are separated by a mountain range.

separated from

He was separated from his luggage at the airport.

legally separated

They are legally separated but not divorced.

separated into groups

The class was separated into groups of four.

recently separated

A recently separated couple may need advice on housing.

Synonyms and how they differ

divided

Divided suggests splitting into parts, often equal or opposing, and is less likely to describe couples.

detached

Detached suggests removal from something it was fixed to, or emotional distance, whereas separated simply means apart.

apart

Apart is an adverb or adjective for distance and is often used after a verb, as in living apart.

estranged

Estranged implies emotional distance and broken relationships, which is stronger than the neutral separated.

Opposites

Word family

separate verb

to divide or move apart

separation noun

the state of being apart

separately adverb

one at a time or apart

separable adjective

able to be separated

inseparable adjective

unable to be separated

Commonly confused: separated or divorced?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “separated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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