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delink

low
UK/diːˈlɪŋk/US/diˈlɪŋk/

formal, technical

My Flashcards

Definition

Meaning

To disconnect, separate, or break an association between two or more things.

In specific contexts, it can mean to disassociate a currency from another (economics), to remove a hyperlink (computing), or to sever a formal relationship (politics/business).

Linguistics

Semantic Notes

Often implies a deliberate, formal, or systematic separation, rather than a casual or physical disconnection. Commonly used in economics, politics, and computing.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling and grammar are consistent.

Connotations

Slightly more common in British English in political/economics discourse; in American English, 'decouple' or 'disconnect' may be preferred.

Frequency

Rare in everyday speech in both varieties; primarily found in specialized writing.

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong
delink fromdelink completelydelink entirely
medium
delink the currencydelink the systemdelink growth from
weak
delink effectivelydelink graduallydelink the two

Grammar

Valency Patterns

delink something from somethingdelink from something

Vocabulary

Synonyms

Strong

decoupledetachsever

Neutral

disconnectseparate

Weak

unlinkdisengagedisassociate

Vocabulary

Antonyms

linkconnectcoupleattachassociate

Usage

Context Usage

Business

Used when discussing strategies to separate a company's performance from market fluctuations, e.g., 'The firm aims to delink its revenue from seasonal demand.'

Academic

Common in economics and political science to describe the dissociation of variables or policies, e.g., 'The study examines efforts to delink economic growth from carbon emissions.'

Everyday

Rare; if used, it typically refers to removing a digital link or ending a personal association, e.g., 'I decided to delink my social media accounts.'

Technical

In computing, refers to removing a hyperlink or breaking a data connection, e.g., 'The update will delink the deprecated API endpoints.'

Examples

By Part of Speech

verb

British English

  • The government plans to delink the pound from the euro.
  • We need to delink our strategy from the parent company's directives.

American English

  • The company decided to delink its servers from the old network.
  • They voted to delink the funding bill from the infrastructure package.

adjective

British English

  • The delinked currency experienced immediate volatility.
  • A delinked trading system is now operational.

American English

  • The delinked data sets are stored separately.
  • Delinked economic policies can lead to instability.

Examples

By CEFR Level

A2
  • Please delink the two cables.
  • I want to delink my phone from the computer.
B1
  • The country decided to delink its currency from the dollar.
  • You can delink your account from the main website.
B2
  • Economists argue about whether it's wise to delink wage increases from inflation.
  • The software allows you to delink files that were previously connected.
C1
  • The policy aims to delink economic prosperity from unsustainable resource extraction.
  • In diplomatic circles, there was pressure to delink the trade agreement from human rights issues.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think of 'de-' (meaning remove) + 'link' (a connection). Imagine removing a link from a chain.

Conceptual Metaphor

BREAKING A CHAIN, CUTTING TIES

Watch out

Common Pitfalls

Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)

  • Avoid translating directly as 'разделять' (to divide/share) for physical separation. Use 'отсоединять', 'разъединять', or 'разрывать связь'.
  • In economic contexts, 'декаплинга' (decoupling) is a closer concept than a direct translation of 'delink'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'unlink' interchangeably in formal contexts (e.g., economics reports). 'Unlink' is more common in IT and everyday language.
  • Incorrect preposition: using 'delink with' instead of 'delink from'.

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap
To reduce dependency, the small nation decided to its currency from the larger neighbour's.
Multiple Choice

In which context is 'delink' most appropriately used?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

No, it is a low-frequency word used primarily in formal, economic, political, or technical contexts.

'Delink' often implies a formal, systematic, or conceptual separation, especially in economics/politics. 'Unlink' is more common for physical or digital connections, like removing a hyperlink.

Rarely. The noun form 'delinking' (gerund) is used, e.g., 'The delinking of the two systems was successful.' A standalone noun 'delink' is not standard.

The most common pattern is transitive: 'delink something from something.' It can also be used intransitively: 'The currency delinked from the euro.'