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"The earthquake ripped the town asunder, leaving buildings in ruins."
"Her beliefs were torn asunder by the confrontation with reality."
"The crowd was driven asunder by the sudden stampede."
"They stood asunder, each going their separate ways after the argument."
Asunder is an adverbial and adjectival form traditionally derived from the Middle English phrase asonder, which itself is a blend of a- (a prefix meaning 'apart' or 'away') and sonder (an archaic form of 'to separate' or 'to sunder'), influenced by Old English components. The usage solidified in Early Modern English with meanings centered on separation, disunion, or torn-apart states. Although “asunder” can function attributively in some contexts (as in “the ships lay asunder”), it most often appears used predicatively after linking verbs (become, lay, fell) or as an intensifier in literary prose. First attested in the 14th–15th centuries in religious and legal texts, its form and semantic focus have remained stable, preserving a sense of violent or absolute division rather than mere distance. Over time, it became a somewhat archaisized term in common speech, retaining the nuance of dramatic or fatal separation especially in poetry and narrative prose. Modern usage tends to be literary or emphatic, signaling complete or utter separation rather than mere physical distance.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "asunder" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "asunder"
-der sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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You pronounce it as-UN-der, with initial stress on the second syllable: /əˈsʌn.dər/ (US) or /əˈsʌn.də/ (UK/AU). Start with a neutral schwa, then a stressed short vowel /ʌ/ as in 'cup', followed by /n/ and a softly pronounced /d/ or /d/ plus a light schwa at the end. You want a smooth two-part rhythm: unstressed-strong-stressed (approximately). Audio reference: you can hear it pronounced as /əˈsʌn.dər/ in standard dictionaries and pronunciation tools.
Two common errors are misplacing the stress (saying /ˌeɪˈsʌn.dər/ or /əˈsən.dər/) and vocalizing the second syllable with an incorrect vowel (using /ʌ/ or /ə/ inconsistently). Another frequent issue is blending /n/ and /d/ into a nasalized or glottal stop sequence; aim for a clear /n/ followed by /d/ with a light, schwa-ending. Correct by practicing the two main syllables separately: /əˈsʌn/ then /dər/ in quick succession, then blend.
In US English, /əˈsʌn.dər/ with a schwa in the final syllable and rhotic ending /ər/. UK/AU typically use /əˈsʌn.də/ with a non-rhotic or less rhotic final vowel; in some accents the final /r/ is muted. The second syllable carries primary stress; vowel quality remains /ʌ/ in the stressed vowel. Australians often preserve /əˈsʌndə/ with a light /ə/ in the final syllable and less pronounced rhotics in non-rhotic varieties. Overall, stress placement is stable, but rhoticity and the final vowel color shift by locale.
Because it is relatively infrequent in everyday speech, you may be unsure where to place the stress and how to transition from /s/ to /n/ to /d/. The second syllable holds the peak /ʌ/ and the final syllable ends with a soft /ər/ or /ə/ that can be glossed as an unaccented schwa. The word also has a slightly abrupt consonant cluster /sən/ which can invite mispronunciation as /əsˈaʊndər/ or /əˈsændər/. Focus on the /ˈsʌn/ nucleus and a clear /d/ before the final schwa to sound precise.
A distinctive feature is the explicit secondary syllable nucleus /ʌ/ in /sʌn/ and the following /dər/ with a light, unstressed ending. Unlike many two-syllable adverbs, asunder favors a two-beat rhythm with the stressed middle syllable, not the initial syllable. The combination of a clear /ʌ/ and a soft /ər/ at the end creates a recognizable, almost archaic cadence that you can practice by saying “uh-SUN-dər” with the middle emphasis and a gentle finish.
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