How to Use divisive in a Sentence

divisive

adjective
  • Still, the state of the Texas power grid has been a divisive topic for years.
    — Breanne Deppisch, Washington Examiner, 13 Jan. 2024
  • The song, which was released in May, has been quite divisive.
    — Tracey Harrington McCoy, Peoplemag, 25 July 2023
  • This has been one of the most divisive seasons of our lifetime.
    — James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2022
  • Linderbaum is one of the more divisive prospects in this year’s class.
    — Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 25 Apr. 2022
  • The Vatican need not look far to see the divisive power of the issue.
    — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2023
  • At the most divisive time in our history, their thought was how to heal the nation’s wounds.
    — WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022
  • Split release or not, the most divisive aspect of the iPhone 14 launch is likely to be the phones themselves.
    — Gordon Kelly, Forbes, 7 June 2022
  • Hogan has long counseled the GOP to move away from Trump, calling him divisive.
    — Annie Jennemann, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2024
  • Is there a more divisive dish on the table than stuffing?
    — Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 22 Sep. 2022
  • Too many mimic divisive rhetoric to score cheap points or achieve short-term goals.
    — Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 2 June 2022
  • While many comments on TikTok praised the video, the same post on Twitter was more divisive.
    — Jeffrey Clark, Fox News, 24 Apr. 2023
  • The fact that Brooke wasn’t in the episode was a divisive decision, according to the comments section of the YouTube video.
    — Sophie Hanson, StyleCaster, 13 Aug. 2024
  • For Black Angelenos, the election of Karen Bass brought joy in a divisive time.
    — Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2022
  • But one of the downfalls certainly has been how divisive some of the language is.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Holmes’ dress-over-jeans look for the 2022 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball was divisive, yes.
    — Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 11 Nov. 2023
  • The issue has been hugely divisive, with huge crowds taking to the streets both for and against his removal.
    — Yoonjung Seo, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Many of the movies on this list are divisive, but none, perhaps, are quite as much as The Blair Witch Project due to the truly guerilla nature of the film.
    — Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2022
  • As on all things Brexit, the answer is divisive — and a snapshot.
    — William Booth, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022
  • This won’t be the first year Hollywood’s biggest night takes place amid a divisive war.
    — Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024
  • Getting the facts right might diminish some of the divisive rhetoric in this country.
    — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
  • To be a place of peaceful dialogue and debate for even the most divisive issues in the world today.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Nov. 2023
  • The practice of keeping your dog confined in a cage for periods of time is a divisive one.
    — Kelly Conaboy, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
  • The bill that could ban TikTok may become a divisive issue in the 2024 election.
    — Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
  • This debate isn’t just about the 20 states that have enacted these divisive bans.
    — Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024
  • And then there's the subtle peplum detail at the hip, which proves that the divisive early-2000s trend is not going anywhere.
    — Condé Nast, Glamour, 12 Mar. 2023
  • The use of bait has always been a divisive subject in deer hunting circles.
    — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Despite the divisive nature of the bill, debate was largely calm.
    — Lauren McGaughy, Dallas News, 14 May 2023
  • The movie was divisive, and a box office failure, and everyone moved on.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2023
  • It's got puffy sleeves that taper into a cuff and the fit avoids the divisive boxy look, according to reviews.
    — Clint Davis, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024
  • Experts say more must be done to save lives, but exactly how to stop the rising number of canine attacks has become an extremely divisive issue.
    — Laura A. Bischoff, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divisive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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