What does reunifying mean?
Reunifying means to make something unified again after it has been divided or separated. The word is especially associated with restoring relationships or political and social cohesion: a government may reunify a country, an organization may reunify departments, or people may reunify a family. It is more specific than unify, which describes the initial act of creating unity, and often carries the implication that conflict, separation, or fragmentation preceded the restoration. Although the more usual everyday verb is often reunite, reunifying is a useful formal choice, particularly in political, historical, and institutional contexts. Its related noun, reunification, names the process itself.
verbTo bring people, groups, organizations, or places back together as a unified whole after a period of division or separation.
- To restore unity to people, groups, countries, or other entities after division, conflict, or separation.
"The leaders worked to reunify the country after years of conflict."
"They returned to the village to reunify the family after the war."
"The new policy aims to reunify the scattered departments into a single organization."
Reunifying is the word for turning a divided world back into one shared whole.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reunifying come from?
Reunifying is formed by combining the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with unify, meaning “to make one.” The underlying roots are Latin unus, “one,” and the combining form -ficare, meaning “to make.” The prefix re- has long been used in English to indicate repetition or reversal, so reunifying literally describes making a divided entity one again.
Related word forms
How reunifying is actually used
Reunifying is less common than the verb reunite and is especially appropriate when division and a subsequent restoration of unity are both implied. It is used in political, social, organizational, and family contexts.
Easily confused with reunifying
Unify means to make something unified in the first place, whereas reunify means to restore unity after division or separation.