SEPARATING Synonyms: 204 Similar and Opposite Words

separating

verb

present participle of separate

as in dividing

to set or force apart we tried to separate the gluey pages, but they were stuck tight

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in parting

to go or move in different directions from a central point the searchers separated in order to cover more ground

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as in classifying

to arrange or assign according to type separate the students by reading ability

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as in isolating

to set or keep apart from others separated the injured calf from the herd

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as in differentiating

to understand or point out the difference in trying to separate science from religion on one specific point

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of separating Examples of ultraprocessing include separating whole foods into substances, chemically formulating foods or using cosmetic additives such as food dyes. — Garrett M. Broad, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026 Use Data To Evaluate Ideas One helpful practice is separating the idea from the person voicing it. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 The Army’s emerging concept focuses on separating laser weapon systems from the specific vehicles on which they are installed. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 As a nation, the United States is moving toward knocking down longstanding walls separating religion and government, often ruling in favor of expanding the rights of religious groups. — Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 Perspectives on secular politics were assessed through queries about separating religion from politics; Western-style governance; Islamic government; and sharia law. — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 The former couple was married for 18 years before separating in 2022. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026 The World Health Organization says its comparison numbers used to interpret the results should not be treated as an absolute line separating fertile from infertile men. — Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026 With just 11 votes separating the candidates, the additional ballots could change the outcome. — Gino Vicci, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for separating

Verb

Beginning in 1992, Nagy began dividing his time between New York and New Delhi.

— News Desk, Artforum, 14 Oct. 2026
Earlier this year, the state parted ways with its main contractor, Kiewit, over a pricing dispute, dividing the remaining work into multiple contracts.

— Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of dividing

Verb

Guidry is a frequent guest instructor, watching bullpens, parting his wisdom, and answering any questions the pinstripers’ new generation of pitchers may have.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026
Out of that conversation grew my novel The Undead, which is, in some ways, a parting love letter to Moscow.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of parting

Verb

Operators fed Maven intelligence classifying the elementary school as an Iranian military facility, and the system, in turn, marked it as one of the priority targets for day one of the war.

— Kylie Jones, Vox, 25 Oct. 2026
The distinction matters because responding to a signal and accurately classifying an unfamiliar chemical mixture are separate tasks.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of classifying

Verb

That would target true luxury by isolating the top 5% of the market, and would shield the vital professional class that keeps NYC’s economy, healthcare systems and businesses running.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
Reduced access to such resources is especially dangerous with strains like Bundibugyo – in the absence of an effective vaccine, tracing the spread of disease and isolating potential disease contacts is especially important.

— Ananya Rupanagunta, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of isolating

Verb

There are different bumps and divots in the bone to take in, small details differentiating each one from the next.

— Daniel Barnum, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2026
As outlined above, the biggest challenge in assembling the list was differentiating between importance and form.

— Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of differentiating

Verb

These ballot measures are all relatively straightforward so far, but there’s one question up to voters this fall that puts wild animals front-and-center — and is splitting hunters and anglers down an ethical centerline.

— Neel Dhanesha, Vox, 23 Oct. 2026
Under alkaline conditions, splitting water molecules takes over 100 times longer than in acidic environments.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of splitting

Verb

On the classic Aerial Adventure ropes course, three difficulty levels with a handful of diverging paths give visitors plenty of reasons to try the obstacles more than once.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
On Cloudmonster and Roger Clubhouse offer diverging monochrome treatments.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of diverging

Verb

The directory identifies each group's mission, ideology, organizational role and documented protest activity, distinguishing direct organizers and participants from supporters and amplifiers.

— Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The pouches also closely resemble nicotine products, raising concerns among school officials about student health and the difficulty of distinguishing between the products.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026