schism

noun

ˈsi-zəm How to pronounce schism (audio) ˈski- How to pronounce schism (audio)
 also  ˈshi-;
among clergy usually
ˈsi- How to pronounce schism (audio)
Synonyms of schismnext
1
: division, separation
also : discord, disharmony
a schism between political parties
2
a
: formal division in or separation from a church or religious body
b
: the offense of promoting schism

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of schism in a Sentence

a schism between leading members of the party The church was divided by schism.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thompson said that the pope has contributed to a major schism among Catholics, with more conservative members dismissing his progressive stances on LGBTQ rights and the environment and more liberal members calling him out for not shifting the church's stance on reproductive rights. —Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2024 In New York, the schism between boss Chickie and underboss Vince widens. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2024 Flashback: The schism between a CEO's politics and those in the ranks below arguably led to trouble for Disney a few years ago. —Emily Peck, Axios, 22 Oct. 2024 But given the schisms in society, most everything else is better decided at the state — not the federal — level. —Stephen Moore, Orange County Register, 6 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for schism 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English scisme, sisme, cisme "division in the church, dissension in belief, civil strife," borrowed from Anglo-French scisme, borrowed from Late Latin scisma, schisma "division of opinion, dissension in the church," borrowed from Greek schismat-, schísma "cleft, division, (New Testament) division of opinion," from schid-, stem of schízein "to split, separate" + -smat-, -sma, resultative noun suffix — more at shed entry 1

Note: As the spellings suggest, the Middle English and early Modern English pronunciation of this word was with initial [s] rather than [sk]. Hellenized spellings with initial sch- became general in the seventeenth century, though the old pronunciation with initial [s] has persisted until recently.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of schism was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near schism

-schisis

schism

schisma

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Schism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schism. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

schism

noun
ˈsiz-əm How to pronounce schism (audio) ˈskiz- How to pronounce schism (audio)
1
a
: division sense 6, separation
b
: lack of harmony : discord
2
a
: division in or separation from a church or religious body
b
: the offense of promoting schism

More from Merriam-Webster on schism

Nglish: Translation of schism for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of schism for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about schism

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