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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Divorce: Meaning, Usage, and Legal Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：legally end a marriage (divorce)

divorce 🔊

/dɪˈvɔːrs/

n. & v.

To legally end a marriage.

Divorce legal process: couple signing papers with wedding rings

legally end a marriage 🔊

➕

/ˈliːɡəli ɛnd ə ˈmærɪdʒ/

n. & v.

To formally dissolve a marital union through a legal process, typically involving court proceedings and a decree.

📁 Category：Laws & Regulations 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'divortium', from 'di-' (apart) + 'vertere' (to turn).

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine 'diverse' routes – two people going separate ways after marriage.

📖 Example

My friend told me her parents divorced two years ago, but they both seem happier now. 🔊 My friend told me her parents legally ended their marriage two years ago, but they both seem happier now.

🔗 Collocations

file for divorce – to formally request a divorce in court

divorce proceedings – the legal steps and hearings to end a marriage

divorce settlement – the agreement dividing assets and responsibilities after divorce

🔄 Synonyms

separate (v.) – to live apart from one's spouse, often before or instead of divorce

annul (v.) – to declare a marriage invalid from the beginning

dissolve (v.) – to officially end a marriage or legal union

🚫 Antonyms

marry (v.) – to enter into a legal marriage

reconcile (v.) – to restore a marital relationship after conflict

unite (v.) – to join in marriage

🌱 Derivatives

divorcee (n.) – a person who is divorced

divorcement (n.) – the act or process of divorcing (less common)

divorceable (adj.) – capable of being divorced

📖 Cultural Story

In ancient Rome, 'divortium' described a legal separation; the term evolved in English to specifically denote the legal dissolution of marriage by the 14th century.

Meaning 2：legal termination of marriage (divorce)

divorce 🔊

/dɪˈvɔːrs/

n. & v.

The legal ending of a marriage.

Divorce decree document finalized on a table

legal termination of marriage 🔊

➕

/ˈliːɡəl ˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃən əv ˈmærɪdʒ/

n. & v.

The formal dissolution of a marriage by a court, which ends the legal relationship and obligations between spouses.

📁 Category：Laws & Regulations 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

At the family gathering, my cousin politely asked not to discuss her recent divorce. 🔊 At the family gathering, my cousin politely asked not to discuss her recent legal termination of marriage.

🔗 Collocations

finalize a divorce – to complete the legal process of divorce

divorce decree – the official court document that ends a marriage

divorce rate – the statistical frequency of divorces in a population

🔄 Synonyms

dissolution (n.) – the formal ending of a marriage

separation (n.) – the state of living apart from one's spouse (less final than divorce)

annulment (n.) – a court declaration that a marriage was never legally valid

🚫 Antonyms

marriage (n.) – the legal union of two people

wedding (n.) – the ceremony of entering into marriage

union (n.) – the state of being joined in marriage