Home / Antonyms / concentrate vs divideNo. 0239

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
concentrate

Fig. 1a — concentrate.

/ˈkɑːnsntreɪt//ˈkɒnsntreɪt/·verb, noun
vs
divide

Fig. 1b — divide.

/dɪˈvaɪd//dɪˈvaɪd/·verb, noun

One 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.

01What 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.

02At a glance
concentratedivide
Meaninggather to one point; make densersplit a whole into parts or shares
Directioninward, to a centreoutward, one into many
Effectintensifies at a pointparcels into portions
Often withattention, power, forces, a solutionland, money, a class, opinion
Nounconcentrationdivision
ExamplePower was concentrated.They divided the estate.
03How to remember

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.

04In use

concentrate

  • iPower was concentrated in a single ministry.
  • iiThe lens concentrates the light onto one spot.
  • iiiShe concentrated her efforts on the final chapter.

divide

  • iThey divided the land equally among the four children.
  • iiThe teacher divided the class into six groups.
  • iiiThe 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.

05Asked
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.
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concentrate — full entrydivide — full entry← All antonyms