What does undivided mean?
Undivided means complete, whole, and unbroken rather than split into portions or shared among competing claims. The basic sense describes a quantity, group, or resource that has not been partitioned: an undivided inheritance, for example, passes as a single entitlement rather than as separate shares. Extended uses convey unreserved concentration or loyalty, especially in the familiar expression “undivided attention.” Saying that someone gives a task undivided attention means that their focus is not scattered among other activities. The word also describes allegiance or affection that is not divided between rivals, though it is more literary than plain terms such as “complete” or “wholehearted.” Undivided is most useful when a contrast is important: something may be divided, incomplete, or distracted, and the undivided version is total and uncompromised. The adjective is standard in formal and literary English in Britain and the United States. It can sound emphatic or slightly elevated, so ordinary language often chooses “full,” “complete,” or “wholehearted” instead. Even so, undivided clearly conveys the idea of unity without sacrificing precision.
adjectiveNot divided into parts; whole, complete, or unbroken. It can also mean wholly given or concentrated, as in undivided attention or loyalty.
- Not separated into parts; whole, complete, or unbroken.
- Given wholly to one purpose, person, or activity; concentrated or unreserved.
- Not shared between parties or rivals; entire and exclusive.
"She gave the problem her undivided attention until every detail had been checked."
"The company retains undivided ownership of the land."
"Her undivided loyalty to her family was never in doubt."
In an age of split attention, undivided attention still asks for the rarest thing of all: complete focus.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of undivided
Undivided was formed in early modern English by combining un- with divide, following the productive English pattern of negating a verbal stem. Divide comes through Old French divider from Latin dividere, meaning “to separate” or “split.” The same Latin root produced divisible, division, dividend, and divider, although these are not inflections of the present adjective.
Related word forms
How undivided is actually used
Standard in formal and literary prose as well as ordinary speech, though it often sounds more emphatic and elevated than complete or whole. Usage is broadly the same in British and American English.