Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| разво́д | razvód | masculine |
| расторже́ние бра́ка | rastoržénije bráka | formal, neuter |
The noun разво́д refers to the legal dissolution of a marriage. In a social or colloquial context, it can also be used figuratively to mean a 'scam', 'deception' or 'trick'.
Which one should you use?
While разво́д is the common word used in everyday conversation, the term расторже́ние бра́ка is specifically used in official legal documents and court settings to mean the dissolution of a marriage.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
расторже́ние бра́ка is a formal expression reserved for legal and official environments.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When talking about the action of getting divorced, you may use the imperfective verb разводи́ться to describe the process or the general state of undergoing a divorce or the perfective verb развести́сь to describe the completed action of a divorce being finalized. To express the act of legally dissolving a marriage, the verbs разводи́ть or развести́ are used.
How do you pronounce it?
razvód
Did you know?
- In Russian, the word бра́к means 'marriage', but it is a homonym for a word meaning 'defect' or 'spoiled goods'.
- In a military context, разво́д refers to a 'guard mounting' ceremony or the changing of the guard. It has nothing to do with marriage in this setting.
- The word разво́д shares the same root as the word for 'divergence' or 'spreading apart'. It literally describes the act of two people moving in opposite directions.
Examples in context
- Подать на разводTo file for divorce
- Официальный разводOfficial divorce
- Процесс разводаDivorce process
- Мы решили развестисьWe decided to get divorced
- Он её бросилHe left her
- Мы должны разойтисьWe need to separate
Sources
- Wiktionary, “divorce” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
