severed

[ sev-erd ]

adjective

1. separated from the whole or divided into parts, as by cutting or the like:

   The severed cables belonged to two internet companies.

2. (of ties or a relationship) broken off or dissolved:

   One of the greatest tragedies we see in our work is the severed relationships between those in need and their family and friends.

3. Law. (of an estate, titles of a statute, etc.) divided into parts:

   A practice known as severed property, or split estates, allows developers to keep or obtain mineral rights underneath privately owned land.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of sever.

Other Words From

• half-sev·ered adjective
• un·sev·ered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of severed¹

sever ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Bluesky started as a research project at Twitter, but after Musk’s takeover it severed all ties with the company and launched as a social app in February 2023.

From Science Magazine

“Nobody believes that these cables were severed by accident,” Germany’s minister of defense, Boris Pistorius, told reporters ahead of a meeting of European security officials in Brussels.

From New York Times

Germany and Finland say they are "deeply concerned" after an undersea cable linking the countries was severed.

From BBC

It shows a corpse whose head and arms have been severed, and the stomach cut open.

From BBC

Relations between Morocco and Algeria have become especially tense in recent years, with Algiers announcing in 2021 that it had severed diplomatic ties with its neighbour to the west.

From BBC

Related Words

• busted
• collapsed
• cracked
• crumbled
• crushed
• damaged
• defective
• demolished
• destroyed
• fractured
• fragmented
• injured
• mangled
• mutilated
• ruptured
• shattered
• smashed
• splintered