It is no use trying to separate the sheep from the goats while in a state of madness.
Source: tatoeba (18963)
Separate
/ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/
Synonyms for "separate" (837 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (168)
Verb(30 words)
classifydistinguishdividesortsplitabductabstractassortbalkanizebranchbreakbreak upcarve upcentrifugedchooseclarifiesclasscome apartdecanteddedicated
Show 10 more words
aberrateabruptabstractaggravateagree to differagree to disagreealienalienatealienatedalonealoofanalyzeanatomizeannulapartapportionassayassortassortedasunder
Show 94 more words
at oddsat varianceatomizeautarchicautarkicautonomousbe at variancebe in dissentbeg to differbifurcatebipartiteboltboundbranchbreak downbreak upbreak withbroachcast offcast outcategorizechangechinkchop logiccircumscribeclarifyclassifyclearcleavecloisteredclose offcodifycollatecombcomecome apartcome betweencompanionlesscompartmentconductcontradistinguishcontrarycontrastedcontrastingcordoncordon offcrackcrevassecullcull outcutcut adriftcut offcut opencut outdeactivatedebriefdecomposedecrassifydeletedemarcatedemarkdemobdemobilizedepartdepartingdeploydepuratedesynonymizedetachdetacheddeviatingdeviativedichotomizedichotomousdifferdifferencedifferentdifferentiatedifferentiateddifferingdisaccordantdisaffectdisagreedisagree withdisagreeingdisarticulatedisassembledisbanddiscerndischargedisconnectdisconnecteddiscontinue
Noun(18 words)
abstractabstract onlybreak apartcentrifugeschaffchaffscohortingdanish isoleredecomposer leveldelineatingdetached fromdetachingdifferentiatingdisassociatingdisconnected fromdisconnected organsdisconnected topicdisconnecting
Adjective(5 words)
binary outputdetached stancedisconnected communitiesdisconnected lessondisconnected regions
Adjective(1 words)
Strong matches (251)
discontinuousdiscord withdiscordantdiscrepantdiscretediscriminatediscriminateddisengagedisengageddisentangledisequalizedisintegratedisjoindisjoineddisjointdisjunctdismemberdismissdismountdisorganize
Show 105 more words
disparatedispartdispeldispersedisrelateddissectdissentdissent fromdisseverdissimilardissociatedissociateddissolvedissonantdistancedistilldistinctdistinctivedistinguishdistinguisheddisunifydisunitedivaricatedivergedivergentdivergingdiversdiversediversifieddiversifydividedivide ondivide updivideddivorcedraw the linedrop outedulcorateejecteluteencloseenisleessentializeestrangeexoticexpelextractextraneousextremityfall outfan outfan the flamefencefence offfilterfiltratefissurefly openforeignforkfracturefreefriendlessghettoizegingo awaygo offgo separate waysgradategradegrant a divorcegrant an annulmentgrouphalvehave a falling-outheterogeneoushomelessin a backwaterin disagreementin twoinaccordantinciseincoherentincommensurableincomparableincompatibleincongruousinconsistentinconsonantindependentindividualindividualizeindividuateinharmoniousinsularinsulateinterspaceintervalinterveneirreconcilableirrelativeirritateislandisolateisolated
Verb(38 words)
discretediscriminatedisembodiesdisembodydisembodyingdisengagingdisentangleddisentanglesdisjointsdissecteddisseverdissociatesdistanceddistildistilleddistillsdistinctdistinguishesdisunifyingdisunite
Show 18 more words
disunitesdivergeddividesdivorcedexclusiveextricatesextricatingfall apartforkfurcateginnedgive spacegroupindependentindividuatedindividuatingisolate cellsisolate genetic material
Adjective(48 words)
discrete itemdiscrete measurementdiscriminatingdisjoineddisjointeddistinct communitiesdistinct elementsdistinct featuresdistinct forcesdistinct groupsdistinct parts mixdistinct personsdisunifieddisuniteddutch aardeenvironmental isolateestrangedfragmentedfragmented school communityfreestanding
Show 28 more words
german analyseindependent entityindependent eventsindependent exerciseindependent modulesindependent taskindividual artist paintingindividual beliefsindividual forcesindividual goalindividual organismindividual sampleindividual testindividual unitindividuated resourcesisolated areaisolated assessmentisolated caseisolated componentsisolated equipmentisolated exampleisolated groupisolated ideaisolated itemisolated learnersisolated national policiesisolated network segmentisolated organs
Noun(37 words)
Related words (418)
Adjective(39 words)
isolated patchesisolated regionisolated scienceisolated science conceptisolated studyisolated teachingisolated tissueisolated topicisolated worknon groupnoncentral force componentnonrelationalquarantined patientseparate topicseparate unitseptatesiloedstandalone samplestandalone usageunconnected area
Show 19 more words
unconnected componentunconnected componentsunconnected elementsunconnected evidenceunconnected firmsunconnected networkunconnected networksunconnected practicesunintegratedunlinkedunlinked genesunplacedunrelated contentsunrelated history projectunrelated ideasunrelated regionunrelated subjectuntetheredvariable isolation
Noun(82 words)
isolated schoolingisolated to selfisolatesitalian isolareline itemmaster disconnectmore distinctmore unconnectedmost isolatednoncomponentnot composed ofoffprintoffsetpaddockingparagraphpart of a documentpart of sciencepart of the grouppart waysparting
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partitioningpartitionspartspeel offphysical distancingprecipitatepuddlespull apartrefiningreprintresolve forcesresolvingretortriftingriftssample extractionsection itemsection of a reportsection tabsection vsegment ofsegmentation tasksegmentssegregatingseveringsievessievingsilosilossinglesslagssluicessluicingsmeltsmeltssorting worksheetspace beingspace between wordsspace termspace the desksspace the photosspace the shelvesspace the testsspacingspanish dividirspinoffsplittingstrainsstrandssuperannuatingteasingtrisectinguncouplingunhitchingunhookingunitsunpairingunrelated partsunsnappingweaningwinnowingwinnows
Verb(57 words)
isolatinglabellosmakenpartpartedpartitionpolarisepolarisingprivateramifyravelledrefinedremove objectrenderedresolvedresolvesriftedsecedessecedingsecern
Show 37 more words
keep apartkeep asidekithlessknowlay asidelay openleachleavelet golight the fuselimitlixiviatelonelonelylonesomeloosenmake a distinctionmake a spacemake troublemany
Show 212 more words
markmark offmark outmark the interfacemodifymotleymultifariousmuster outnoncohesivenot agreeobtain a divorceoneonlyopeopenopen upopposeoppositeorganizeotherout-of-the-wayout-of-the-worldoutlandishoutsideoutspreadpanelpartpart companyparticularparticularizepartitionpartitionedpeculiarpercolatepersonalizepickpick outpit againstpoles apartpoles asunderproperprovokeprypullpull awaypull backpull outpunctuatepurifyput asideput asunderput awayquarantinequarantinedquarterrankrectifyreducereduce to elementsrefinerefine a distinctionreleaseremoteremoveremovedrendrentresolverespectiveretiredriddleriftripriverope offrupturescatterscreenscreen outseal offsecedesecludesecludedsectionsegmentsegregatesegregatedselectseparatedsequestersequesteredset a limitset againstset apartset asideset at intervalsset at oddsset at varianceset offset onseverseveralseveralizeshutshut offsic onsievesieve outsiftsift outsinglesingle handedsingle outsingle-handedsingularsizeskimslitsnapsolesolitarysolosortsort outsovereignsow dissensionspacespace outspecializespinspiritualizesplaysplitsplit hairssplit upsporadicspreadspread outspringspring openstand aloofstand apartstand asidestep asidestir up troublestrainstrangesubdividesublimatesublimesubordinatesubtilizesubtractsue for divorcesundersurroundswing opentake awaytake exceptiontake issuetapteartear openthrashthreshthrow offthrow openthrow outtrytypeunabettedunaccompaniedunaffiliatedunaidedunalliedunassistedunassociatedunattachedunattendedunconformableunconnecteduncoupleunequalunescortedunfrequentedunhookuniqueunjoinedunlikeunmarryunravelunrelatableunrelatedunsecondedunsupporteduntie the knotunvisitedunyokevariantvariedvariegatedvariousvaryvaryingwallwall offwidely apartwinnowwithdrawwithdrawnwithhold assentworlds apart
Determiner(2 words)
less communal livingtwo distinct persons
Adjective(6 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: classify, distinguish, divide, sort, split.
- Sentence evidence is available for separate, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "separate".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "separate"
Keep "separate" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "separate" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "separate", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "separate" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
34 entriesShowing 16 of 34 words.
More specific
10 entriesCollocations
9 entriesseparate accountsseparate colorsseparate filesseparate goalsseparate groupsseparate ideasseparate piecesseparate roomsseparate topics
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
7 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
27 entriesShowing 16 of 27 words.
Sample sentences
24 total sentences available.
We'd like separate checks.
Source: tatoeba (21100)
We cannot separate the sheep from the goats by appearance.
Source: tatoeba (21973)
Waiter, give us separate checks, please.
Source: tatoeba (33761)
Showing 4 of 24 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "separate"?
Closest matches include classify, distinguish, divide, sort, split.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "separate"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.