separation

Definition of Separation

(noun) A temporary break in a marriage that may or may not lead to a divorce.

Separation Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: sep·a·ra·tion

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˌsɛpəˈreɪʃən/
• British English – /sɛpəˈreɪʃən/

Usage Notes

• Plural: separations
• In contrast to separation, a divorce is the legal or socially sanctioned termination of a marriage.
• Also called:
  • temporary separation
  • trial separation

Additional Information

• Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “separation” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Emery, Robert E., ed. 2013. Cultural Sociology of Divorce: An Encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference.
• Hackstaff, Karla B. 1999. Marriage in a Culture of Divorce. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
• Phillips, Roderick. 1988. Putting Asunder: A History of Divorce in Western Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Wallerstein, Judith S., Julia Lewis, and Sandra Blakeslee. 2000. The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25 year Landmark Study. New York: Hyperion.
• Yodanis, C. 2005. “Divorce Culture and Marital Gender Equality: A Cross-national Study.” Gender & Society 19(5):644–59. doi:10.1177/0891243205278166.

Related Terms

• covenant marriage
• deinstitutionalization of marriage
• digamy
• divorce
• marriage
• monogamy
• open marriage
• relative
• remarriage
• single-parent family

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Cite the Definition of Separation

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “separation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 26, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/separation/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

separation. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/separation/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “separation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/separation/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“separation.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/separation/>.