reunification: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, academic, political, historical
Quick answer
What does “reunification” mean?
The process of uniting separate parts, territories, or groups into one whole again after a period of division.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The process of uniting separate parts, territories, or groups into one whole again after a period of division.
Beyond political contexts, it can refer to the restoration of unity or wholeness in families, organizations, or abstract entities like a divided artistic movement or fragmented data set.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling is identical. Usage patterns are similar, though 'reunification' is more frequently invoked in American discourse regarding family immigration law and in British discourse regarding Ireland.
Connotations
In both, primarily associated with political/historical events (e.g., Germany, Yemen). In the US, also strongly associated with families separated by immigration.
Frequency
Comparatively low frequency in everyday speech in both varieties, but well-known due to major historical events.
Grammar
How to Use “reunification” in a Sentence
The reunification of [ENTITY] (e.g., The reunification of Germany)[ENTITY] reunification (e.g., Korean reunification)Work toward reunificationLead to reunificationVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “reunification” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The government aims to reunify the country after the civil war.
- Efforts to reunify the collections of the national museum are underway.
American English
- The policy seeks to reunify families separated at the border.
- The two companies plan to reunify under a single brand.
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverb form. 'Reunified' can be used in compound adjectives, e.g., 'a newly reunified Germany'.]
American English
- [No standard adverb form. Use phrases like 'in a reunified manner' is extremely rare and unnatural.]
adjective
British English
- The reunification process was complex and carefully managed.
- They celebrated the reunification day with a public ceremony.
American English
- Reunification policies are a key part of the immigration debate.
- The treaty outlined a ten-year reunification timeline.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might refer to merging previously separated divisions or companies that were once one.
Academic
Common in history, political science, and sociology to describe processes like German or Yemeni reunification.
Everyday
Mostly used in discussions of history, news about divided nations (e.g., Korea), or formal family immigration processes.
Technical
In computing, can describe data reconciliation or merging of network partitions.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “reunification”
Strong
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “reunification”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “reunification”
- Misspelling: 'reunifacation', 'reunifaction'.
- Using it for casual get-togethers (incorrect: 'Our school reunification was fun.' Correct: 'Our school reunion...').
- Confusing it with 'reunite' (verb).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Reunification' is a formal, often political or legal, process of restoring unity. 'Reunion' is a social event where people who haven't seen each other meet again, or a more general state of being together again.
It's rare but possible in formal or literary contexts, e.g., 'the reunification of the shattered artifact.' More commonly, 'reassembly' or 'reconstruction' is used.
Yes, the verb is 'reunify' (e.g., 'The goal is to reunify the country').
It refers to the well-documented, peaceful, and consequential process in 1990 where the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), ending post-World War II division.
The process of uniting separate parts, territories, or groups into one whole again after a period of division.
Reunification is usually formal, academic, political, historical in register.
Reunification: in British English it is pronounced /ˌriːˌjuːnɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌriːˌjuːnɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No strong, common idioms use 'reunification' as the core term. The concept is expressed directly.]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: RE- (again) + UNIFICATION (making into one). It's the act of making one, AGAIN.
Conceptual Metaphor
HEALING A RIFT / MENDING A BROKEN WHOLE (The nation/family is a body or object that was torn and is being stitched back together.)
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'reunification' LEAST appropriate?