divisive
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di·vi·sive
(dĭ-vī′sĭv, -vĭs′-ĭv)adj.
Creating dissension or discord.
di·vi′sive·ly adv.
di·vi′sive·ness n.
Usage Note: The word divisive is usually pronounced in both American and British English as (dĭ-vī′sĭv), with the stressed syllable having a long i. This was the preferred pronunciation of 88 percent of the Usage Panel in our 2013 ballot. The pronunciation with a short i in the stressed syllable, rhyming with permissive, was acceptable to only 16 percent of the Panel in 2001 but has made inroads since then, to the point where it was deemed acceptable by 65 percent of the Panel in 2013. The long-i pronunciation conforms to the regular rules for pronouncing English spelling, which call for a long vowel before a consonant-vowel sequence (as in decisive, derisive, and incisive) and a short vowel before a doubled consonant (as in missive and permissive). Though still less favored than the pronunciation with a long i, the pronunciation with a short i is on the path to becoming an established variant pronunciation in American English.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
divisive
(dɪˈvaɪsɪv)adj
1. causing or tending to cause disagreement or dissension
2. archaic having the quality of distinguishing
diˈvisively adv
diˈvisiveness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
di•vi•sive
(dɪˈvaɪ sɪv)adj.
1. forming or expressing division or distribution.
2. creating dissension or discord.
[1590–1600; < Late Latin]
di•vi′sive•ly, adv.
di•vi′sive•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Adj. | 1. | divisive - dissenting (especially dissenting with the majority opinion) discordant - not in agreement or harmony; "views discordant with present-day ideas" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
divisive
adjective disruptive, unsettling, alienating, troublesome, controversial, contentious Abortion has always been a divisive issue.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
divisive
[dɪˈvaɪsɪv] adj [issue] → qui divise l'opinion, qui crée des dissensionsto be divisive → diviser l'opinion
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
divisive
adj issue, figure → kontrovers, umstritten; influence, effect → polarisierend; to be divisive → Uneinigkeit schaffen; a divisive general election → eine Wahl, die das Land in zwei Lager spaltet
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995