divisive
adjective
di·vi·sive
| \ də-ˈvī-siv
also -ˈvi-
or -ziv\
also -ˈvi-
or -ziv\
Definition of divisive
: creating disunity or dissension
a divisive issue divisive rhetoric
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Examples of divisive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The divisive climate on the island is palpable, and visible. — Wade Graham, Smithsonian, "Why Molokai, With All Its Wonders, Is the Least Developed of Hawai’i’s Islands," 31 Aug. 2019 Democrats have compared Abbott's language to the divisive words used by President Donald Trump, whose critics say has fostered the kind of anti-immigrant hatred that the El Paso gunman posted online. — CBS News, "Texas Governor Greg Abbott says "mistakes were made" in immigration rhetoric," 30 Aug. 2019 The covert sale of guns on the two enormous online marketplaces, which was first reported by Storyful earlier this month, comes during a divisive period in the fight over gun control. — Christopher Harress | Charress@al.com, al, "Covert Facebook gun sales in the Southeast present new problems for law enforcement," 30 Aug. 2019 Months later, as the angry and divisive 2016 presidential campaign kicked into high gear, Biden's story of the medal ceremony grew more harrowing and less accurate. — Author: Matt Viser, Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, "As he campaigns for president, Joe Biden tells a moving but false war story," 29 Aug. 2019 Individuals need to be more aware of how our emotions and biases can be exploited with precision and consider what forces might be provoking us to amplify divisive messages. — The Editors, Scientific American, "Everyone Is an Agent in the New Information Warfare," 26 Aug. 2019 For MLB’s effort to receive such divisive reviews within the sport dampened an effort that had an end goal capable of unanimous approval: Grow the game. — Sam Fortier, The Denver Post, "MLB wanted to make baseball fun with Players’ Weekend jerseys. It backfired.," 26 Aug. 2019 The problem, of course, is that taxing pollution from nonrenewable energy is an incredibly divisive political issue. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "A Tax Credit Fueled the Solar Energy Boom. Now It's in Limbo," 14 Aug. 2019 Lisel Hintz, an assistant international relations professor at Johns Hopkins University SAIS, said Imamoglu withstood a divisive campaign and prevailed with a positive message. — Fox News, "Turkey sees political tension after Erdogan's opposition wins in Istanbul," 24 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'divisive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for divisive
divisive
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of divisive
formal
: causing a lot of disagreement between people and causing them to separate into different groups
See the full definition for divisive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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