What does "apart" mean?
Exceptional, distinct.
Apart
/əˈpɑːt/ adj, adv, postp
adj, adv, postp ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Exceptional, distinct.
- Grammar: apart is listed as adj, adv, postp.
- Nearest alternatives: asunder, a huis clos, adrift, alien.
- Useful contrasts: abreast, adjacent, tandem exchange.
- Usage evidence: You had better set some money apart for your wedding.
How to use "apart"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "apart" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "apart" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "apart" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "apart" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "apart" is acting as adj, adv, postp in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "asunder" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "apart", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Exceptional, distinct. not-comparable
"In aristocracies, servants are a class apart."
- 2 Having been taken apart; disassembled, in pieces. not-comparable
- 3 Separate, on the side. not-comparable
"The young lover was in waiting, to hand them out of the large substantial carriage, and the first quiet moment that he could find for an apart whisper, said, "What can be the reason that your mother has never taken the slightest notice of my letter?""
Adjective
- 1 remote and separate physically or socially wordnet
- 2 having characteristics not shared by others wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Placed separately (in regard to space or time).
"We had a large bus and I had two of them at the front and two at the back, and I had to sit in the middle and keep them apart."
- 2 Separately, exclusively, not together.
"Consider the two propositions apart."
- 3 In or into two or more parts.
"We took the computer apart and put it back together."
- 4 To the side; aside.
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."
Adverb
- 1 not taken into account or excluded from consideration wordnet
- 2 into parts or pieces wordnet
- 3 separated or at a distance in place or position or time wordnet
- 4 one from the other wordnet
- 5 placed or kept separate and distinct as for a purpose wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 away from another or others wordnet
Postp
- 1 Excluded from consideration.
"Joking apart, what do you think?"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You had better set some money apart for your wedding."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "apart"?
Common synonyms include: asunder, a huis clos, adrift, alien, alienated, all to pieces.
How do you use "apart" in a sentence?
You had better set some money apart for your wedding.
How do you pronounce "apart"?
Pronounced /əˈpɑːt/.
Etymology
From Middle English apart, aparte, a-part, a part, from Anglo-Norman a part, from Latin ad partem (“to the side”).