house divided
3
7.0
- noun
:
casa dividida
- As Lincoln reminded us, a house divided against itself cannot stand.
And a house divided against itself cannot stand.
- And a house divided against itself cannot stand.
- A process that asked whether the Republic could stand as a house divided because the Roman Republic indeed was a house divided.
- We have a house divided and not just divided.
Examples
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And without a shared set of values and principles, America is a house divided, with no common purpose to unify and motivate us in these tough times.
Blog text (6) -
And a house divided against itself cannot stand.
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A house divided against itself cannot stand.
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I guess you can say that we have a house divided at home now.
Blog text (33) -
As Jesus said, "a house divided against itself cannot stand."
Blog text (26) -
How long can a house divided stand?
Blog text (7) -
We are a house divided on some key issues, including some pertaining directly to the economy, and we are deeply in debt.
Blog text (7) -
America is truly a house divided, divided by forces that benefit from hate mongering and negativity.
Blog text (28) -
I'm saying that we're a house divided now, and it's because we fundamentally disagree on what the US is, as the Constitution lays it out.
Blog text (26) -
The political party became a house divided, with members unable to agree on key issues.
Synonyms
138
4.2
A strong disagreement that separates people in a group
110
6.0
A strong disagreement between groups that causes tension
34
5.4
A serious break between people or groups that causes conflict
26
6.0
Conflict between people in the same group that is often hidden
26
5.6
Strong disagreement between people or groups
25
7.2
People or groups split into two opposing sides and cannot agree
18
8.7
A serious split in a group when people have different beliefs or opinions
16
7.5
A disagreement and arguing between people who must work together
5
6.7
A feeling of disagreement and tension between people
4
6.4
A situation when people or groups do not agree
2
8.8
Small groups inside a larger group compete and disagree, causing conflict
1
8.1
A situation when people or groups are not united
Antonyms
How Divided
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'house' (a social unit) and 'divided' (split) do point toward the idea of a group being split, but the MWE relies on a metaphorical/metonymic extension of 'house' to mean an organization or collective rather than a physical dwelling. This shift and the somewhat literary/idiomatic usage make the meaning not fully predictable for a B1 learner without some exposure.
Etymology
House divided comes from a line in the Bible, later used by Abraham Lincoln, that warned 'a house divided against itself cannot stand'. Imagine a house split in two with people on each side arguing — that picture explains why the phrase means 'a group split by opposing opinions'.