concentrate vs divide
Concentrate and divide are opposites. Concentrate is to draw scattered things together to one central point, to make something denser, or to focus. Divide is to split a whole into parts or shares. Concentrate gathers to one point; divide breaks one into several.
Quick rule: gather scattered things to one point → concentrate; split one whole into parts or shares → divide.
A round glass is held between the sun and the table, and the wide mild light falling on it is bent to a single dot — the same light, but pulled to one point it stops being warm and turns fierce, and a thread of smoke lifts from where it lands.
/ˈkɑːnsntreɪt//ˈkɒnsntreɪt/·verb, nounA whole pie is cut three times, the knife turning a little between strokes so three lines cross at the centre; then the six equal wedges ease apart, each backing off until clean gaps run all the way through — one round thing measured out into even shares.
/dɪˈvaɪd//dɪˈvaɪd/·verb, nounOne draws things inward to a single point; the other parcels one thing into parts. Concentrate, from com- 'together' and centrum 'centre', gathers scattered things to a centre, packs a substance denser, or focuses the mind. Divide, from Latin dividere 'to force apart', splits one whole into measured parts or shares. Power is concentrated in one office; an estate is divided among the heirs. One gathers many to a point; the other makes several out of one.
What each means
concentrate
To concentrate is to gather toward one centre until it is strong — from the Latin com- 'together' and centrum 'centre'. Scattered forces concentrate at a border; a reader concentrates on a page, pulling stray attention to one point; boiling concentrates a juice by driving off its water. As a noun, a concentrate is what is left when the water is gone: the same substance, no longer spread thin. To consolidate holdings is close, but concentrate keeps the sense of intensity growing as things gather.
divide
To divide is to split a whole into parts — often equal ones, and often methodically: divide a cake into six, divide the class into groups, divide twelve by three. From the Latin dividere, 'to force apart'. It is the tidy, measured cousin of split. As a noun, a divide is a gap or rift between groups — the digital divide, a widening social divide. The word reaches into maths (dividend, divisor) and into the old strategy of divide and conquer.
At a glance
| concentrate | divide | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gather to one point; make denser | split a whole into parts or shares |
| Direction | inward, to a centre | outward, one into many |
| Effect | intensifies at a point | parcels into portions |
| Often with | attention, power, forces, a solution | land, money, a class, opinion |
| Noun | concentration | division |
| Example | Power was concentrated. | They divided the estate. |
How to remember the difference
Ask whether things gather to a point or split into parts. Concentrate draws scattered things inward to one centre, making them dense or intense — light pulled to a burning dot. Divide cuts one whole into measured parts that ease apart — a pie into even wedges. If things gather to a point, that is concentrate; if one thing is parcelled into parts, that is divide.
Examples
concentrate
- Power was concentrated in a single ministry.
- The lens concentrates the light onto one spot.
- She concentrated her efforts on the final chapter.
divide
- They divided the land equally among the four children.
- The teacher divided the class into six groups.
- The issue divided the party down the middle.
Concentrate gathers to a point and intensifies; divide splits a whole into parts. In politics they make a sharp pair: power can be concentrated in one place or divided among several (a separation of powers). Divide is also a noun (a cultural divide), while concentrate's noun, concentration, can name density, focus or a gathering.
FAQ
- What is the difference between concentrate and divide?
- Concentrate is to draw scattered things together to one central point, make something denser, or focus, while divide is to split a whole into parts or shares. Concentrate gathers to one point; divide breaks one into several. In the scenes above, a lens pulls wide light to a single burning point, whereas a whole pie is cut and eased apart into six even wedges.
- Are concentrate and divide opposites?
- Yes, especially about power and effort. To concentrate power is to gather it in one place; to divide it is to split it among several holders. To concentrate effort is to focus it on one point; to divide it is to spread it across many. The tell is direction: concentrate draws inward to a point, divide breaks outward into parts.
- What does it mean to concentrate power, and to divide it?
- To concentrate power is to gather it into one hand or office, making it strong and hard to check, like the light massed to a burning point in the scene above. To divide power is the opposite — to split it among branches or people, as in a separation of powers. One intensifies control at a point; the other parcels it out. They are a natural pair in political writing.
- Is divide a noun as well as a verb?
- Yes. As a verb it means to split a whole into parts (divide the land); as a noun it means a gap between groups — 'the North–South divide', 'a cultural divide'. Concentrate's noun is concentration, which names density, focus or a gathering, not a gap. So divide can name the split itself, while concentrate needs its noun to name the gathering.
- What are the noun forms of concentrate and divide?
- Concentration and division. 'The concentration of power' names a gathering to a point; 'the division of the estate' names a splitting into shares. Division also has technical lives — arithmetic and a section of an organization — while concentration names density, focus or the strength of a solution. The nouns keep the verbs opposite: a gathering to a point versus a split into parts.
- Which word fits splitting land among heirs?
- Divide. Land is divided among heirs — one whole parcelled into shares, as the pie is cut into wedges in the scene above. Concentrate would be the opposite — gathering scattered plots into one holding. The tell is direction: concentrate draws things to a point, divide breaks one whole into parts.
- Can attention be concentrated or divided?
- Yes, and the pair is everyday. To concentrate is to focus all your attention on one thing; to have divided attention is to split it across several, doing each less well. 'Concentrate on the road' asks for one focus; 'divided attention' warns of many. The words name opposite states of the mind's focus — gathered to a point, or split among tasks.