Divide and unite are opposites. Divide is to split a whole into parts or shares, or to set people against each other. Unite is to join parts or people into one, especially for a shared cause. Divide breaks a whole apart or sets people at odds; unite joins them into one.
They are among the most familiar opposites in English. Divide splits one thing into parts — a cake, an estate, a class — and, of people, sets them against each other. Unite, from Latin unus 'one', joins parts or people into one, often around a shared cause and with a note of solidarity. A wall divides a city; a common threat unites it. One breaks apart or sets at odds; the other brings together as one.
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.
unite
To unite is for separate people, groups, or parts to come together and act as one — from the Latin unus, 'one'. A crisis unites a divided nation; scattered rebels unite behind a leader; two kingdoms unite under one crown. The word carries a charge of solidarity: those who unite often stay distinct yet stand together, as allied armies do when they unite against a common enemy. To unify is to make one cohesive whole; to unite is to join forces — to combine strength while keeping your own name.
| divide | unite | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | split a whole into parts; set at odds | join into one for a shared cause |
| Direction | one into many | many into one |
| Of people | sets them against each other | brings them together as one |
| Often with | land, money, a class, a nation | nations, people, a party, a cause |
| Noun | division | union / unity |
| Example | The issue divided the country. | The crisis united the country. |
Count the pieces and feel the mood. Divide breaks one into many, or sets people at odds — a pie cut into wedges, a nation split by an argument. Unite joins many into one for a purpose — scattered figures into a single ring, hand in hand. If a whole is split into parts or people set against each other, that is divide; if people are joined into one, that is unite.
divide
- iThe vote deeply divided the party.
- iiDivide the estate among the heirs.
- iiiA river divides the city into two halves.
unite
- iThe threat united the rival factions.
- iiWorkers united to demand better pay.
- iiiA shared language helped unite the nation.
Divide and unite are classic opposites, especially of people: 'divide and rule' sets a group against itself, while a cause unites it. Divide also has the plain sense of splitting a whole into shares, and the arithmetic sense; unite stays about joining into one, usually with a shared purpose.
A core opposites pair for essays on politics, society and history. Use divide for splitting or for conflict — 'the issue divided the nation', 'a divided society' — and unite for bringing together around a cause — 'the war united the country', 'a call for national unity'. The nouns division and unity are common in argument, and the phrase 'divide and rule' (or 'divide and conquer') is a set expression worth knowing. Both take objects; unite also takes 'behind' and 'against'.