Apart — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adverb adjective /ə-ˈpärt/

Meaning & Definition of Apart

Apart (adverb)

  1. at a little distance
  2. away from one another in space or time
  3. as a separate unit, independently

Apart (adjective)

  1. separate, isolated
  2. holding different opinions, divided

Apart (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. into parts or pieces

    "the fancy new adjustable rake came apart the first time I tried to use it"

    similar: asunder, piecemeal, to pieces
    opposite: together

Apart (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in odd, nowhere

    similar: devious, isolated, lonesome, nowhere, obscure, odd, outlying, out-of-the-way, retired, secluded, secret, sequestered, away, deep, distant, far-flung, far-off, remote, removed
    opposite: adjacent, adjoining, contiguous, close, near, nearby, nigh

Related Entry: Apart from (preposition)

Apart from is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for apart from, not for apart.

  1. not including

    "apart from the saggy roof, the cottage is in pretty good shape"

    similar: aside from, bar, barring, beside, besides, but, except, except for, excluding, exclusive of, other than, outside, outside of, save, saving

Related Entry: Fall apart (phrase)

Fall apart is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for fall apart, not for apart.

  1. to go through decomposition

    "The old house was falling apart before the restoration."

    similar: break down, corrupt, decay, decompose, disintegrate, fester, foul, mold, molder, perish (chiefly British), putrefy, rot, spoil, go to seed
    related: sour, turn, turn off (British), contaminate, defile, pollute, taint, addle, curdle, ferment, mortify, rust, crumble, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, dilapidate, sink, wither
    near: age, develop, grow, mature, ripen, refresh, renew, restore, cleanse, purify, assemble, compose, integrate, ameliorate, better, improve, meliorate

  2. to yield to mental or emotional stress

    "He fell apart after his wife left."

    similar: break down, break up, crack, flip (out) (slang), freak (out), melt down, wig (out) (slang), blow one's cool, go off the deep end, go to pieces, lose it
    related: choke

Related Entry: Set apart (phrase)

Set apart is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for set apart, not for apart.

  1. to keep or intend for a special purpose

    "They set apart a stack of pictures for the slideshow."

    similar: allocate, consecrate, dedicate, devote, earmark, give up (to), reserve, save, set by, set aside
    related: bless, hallow, sanctify, commit, confide, consign, entrust, apply, bestow, employ, use
    near: ignore, neglect, misapply, misuse

Related Entry: Take apart (phrase)

Take apart is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for take apart, not for apart.

  1. to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

    "They threatened to take him apart if he ever showed up in their town again."

    similar: abuse, brutalize, bully, ill-treat, ill-use, kick around, maltreat, manhandle, mess over (slang), mishandle, mistreat, misuse
    related: molest, outrage, violate, harass, harm, hurt, injure, oppress, persecute, torment, torture, burn, sandbag, victimize, wrong, beat (up), mess (up), rough (up), work (over)
    near: care (for), cherish, foster, nurture, baby, cater (to), coddle, favor, gratify, humor, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil

Related Entry: Fallen apart (phrase)

Fallen apart is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for fallen apart, not for apart.

  1. to go through decomposition

    "The old house was falling apart before the restoration."

    similar: broken down, corrupted, decayed, decomposed, disintegrated, festered, fouled, molded, moldered, perished (chiefly British), putrefied, rotted, spoiled, gone to seed
    related: soured, turned, turned off (British), contaminated, defiled, polluted, tainted, addled, curdled, fermented, mortified, rusted, crumbled, declined, degenerated, descended, deteriorated, dilapidated, sunk, withered
    near: aged, developed, grown, matured, ripened, refreshed, renewed, restored, cleansed, purified, assembled, composed, integrated, ameliorated, bettered, improved, meliorated

  2. to yield to mental or emotional stress

    "He fell apart after his wife left."

    similar: broken down, broken up, cracked, flipped (out) (slang), freaked (out), melted down, wigged (out) (slang), blown one's cool, gone off the deep end, gone to pieces, lost it
    related: choked

Related Entry: Taken apart (phrase)

Taken apart is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for taken apart, not for apart.

  1. to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

    "They threatened to take him apart if he ever showed up in their town again."

    similar: abused, brutalized, bullied, ill-treated, ill-used, kicked around, maltreated, manhandled, messed over (slang), mishandled, mistreated, misused
    related: molested, outraged, violated, harassed, harmed, hurt, injured, oppressed, persecuted, tormented, tortured, burned, sandbagged, victimized, wronged, beaten (up), messed (up), roughed (up), worked (over)
    near: cared (for), cherished, fostered, nurtured, babied, catered (to), coddled, favored, gratified, humored, indulged, mollycoddled, pampered, spoiled

Related Entry: Fell apart (phrase)

Fell apart is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for fell apart, not for apart.

  1. to go through decomposition

    "The old house was falling apart before the restoration."

    similar: broke down, corrupted, decayed, decomposed, disintegrated, festered, fouled, molded, moldered, perished (chiefly British), putrefied, rotted, spoiled, went to seed
    related: soured, turned, turned off (British), contaminated, defiled, polluted, tainted, addled, curdled, fermented, mortified, rusted, crumbled, declined, degenerated, descended, deteriorated, dilapidated, sank, withered
    near: aged, developed, grew, matured, ripened, refreshed, renewed, restored, cleansed, purified, assembled, composed, integrated, ameliorated, bettered, improved, meliorated

  2. to yield to mental or emotional stress

    "He fell apart after his wife left."

    similar: broke down, broke up, cracked, flipped (out) (slang), freaked (out), melted down, wigged (out) (slang), blew one's cool, lost it, went off the deep end, went to pieces
    related: choked

Related Entry: Took apart (phrase)

Took apart is a different word from Apart. The synonyms below are for took apart, not for apart.

  1. to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

    "They threatened to take him apart if he ever showed up in their town again."

    similar: abused, brutalized, bullied, ill-treated, ill-used, kicked around, maltreated, manhandled, messed over (slang), mishandled, mistreated, misused
    related: molested, outraged, violated, harassed, harmed, hurt, injured, oppressed, persecuted, tormented, tortured, burned, sandbagged, victimized, wronged, beat (up), messed (up), roughed (up), worked (over)
    near: cared (for), cherished, fostered, nurtured, babied, catered (to), coddled, favored, gratified, humored, indulged, mollycoddled, pampered, spoiled

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Apart

The most common words with a similar meaning to Apart:

asunder, piecemeal, to pieces, devious, isolated, lonesome, nowhere, obscure, odd, outlying, out-of-the-way, retired, secluded, secret, sequestered, away, deep, distant, far-flung, far-off, remote, removed

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Apart

Words with the opposite meaning of Apart:

together, adjacent, adjoining, contiguous, close, near, nearby, nigh

Word Forms of Apart

Derived words: apartness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Apart

Middle English, from Anglo-French a part, literally, to one side

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Apart

Words & Phrases Containing Apart

apart from, apart from anything else, fall apart, grow apart, poles apart, set apart, take apart, a breed apart

Frequently Asked Questions about Apart

What does "Apart" mean?

"Apart" means at a little distance. As an an adverb and an adjective, it is defined as: at a little distance. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Apart"?

Other words for "Apart" include asunder, piecemeal, to pieces, devious, isolated, lonesome, nowhere and obscure. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Apart" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Apart"?

There are 22 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Apart". Common alternatives include asunder, piecemeal, to pieces, devious, isolated, lonesome, nowhere, obscure, odd and outlying.

What is the opposite of "Apart"?

Antonyms of "Apart" include together, adjacent, adjoining, contiguous, close, near, nearby and nigh.

How do you use "Apart" in a sentence?

Examples of "Apart" in a sentence: "the fancy new adjustable rake came apart the first time I tried to use it".

Is "Apart" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Apart" can be used as an adverb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Apart" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Apart" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Apart"?

"Apart" is pronounced /ə-ˈpärt/.