What does divorced mean?
Divorced describes a person whose marriage has been legally terminated, meaning they are no longer bound to their former spouse under law. It is most often used predicatively — 'they are divorced' — or in phrases such as 'get divorced', 'newly divorced', or 'twice divorced'. Beyond the legal sense, the word carries a productive figurative meaning: something can be said to be divorced from reality, from its origins, or from public opinion when it is disconnected or detached from it, a usage especially common in journalism and criticism. The word derives ultimately from the Latin 'divertere', meaning 'to turn away', which is also the root of 'divert' and 'diverse'. Neutral in tone, 'divorced' is preferred over older terms like 'estranged' when legal dissolution is meant, though it describes status rather than the emotional experience that may accompany it.
Having legally ended one's marriage.
"She has been divorced since 2015."
Usually used after a linking verb rather than attributively.
(Figurative) Cut off, detached, or disconnected from something.
"The policy was criticized as divorced from economic reality."
Almost always followed by 'from'.
The word 'divorce' comes from the Latin 'divertere' — literally 'to turn away from each other' — so every divorced couple has, etymologically speaking, simply turned in opposite directions.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of divorced
Divorced is the past participle of 'divorce', which entered English in the late Middle Ages via Old French from Latin 'divortium', derived from 'divertere' — literally 'to turn away in different directions'. This makes the word a cousin of 'divert', 'diverse', and other verbs and adjectives built on the Latin root 'vertere', 'to turn'. The figurative sense of being 'divorced from' something developed later by metaphorical extension of the legal act.
Related word forms
How divorced is actually used
'Divorced' is neutral in register and widely used in both formal and everyday contexts. When describing a person, it typically follows a linking verb ('she is divorced') rather than standing directly before a noun. The figurative sense — 'divorced from reality, tradition, etc.' — is common in criticism and commentary and carries a slightly negative connotation of disconnection.
Easily confused with divorced
A separated person is still legally married but living apart, whereas a divorced person's marriage has been legally ended.