splitting

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. used to describe a very painful headache that feels like your head is breaking.

adj. describing a sharp, intense, and throbbing pain, almost exclusively used to modify 'headache'.

“I need to lie down because I have a splitting headache.”

“The bright lights of the stadium only worsened his splitting headache, forcing him to leave the match before the second half began.”

C1 · Advanced Informal

adj. moving at a very high speed.

adj. characterised by extreme speed or rapidity; often used in the phrase 'at a splitting pace'.

“The car drove past us at a splitting speed.”

“The racehorse rounded the final corner at a splitting pace, leaving the rest of the field struggling to keep up.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Technical

n. the process of something breaking or being divided into parts.

n. the act or result of dividing or separating; in psychology, it refers to a defense mechanism involving a failure to integrate positive and negative qualities.

“The splitting of the wood was easy with the new axe.”

“In clinical psychology, splitting is often observed as a tendency to view individuals as either entirely good or entirely bad, with no middle ground.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Science Technical

n. the breaking of a chemical bond between atoms.

n. the cleavage of a covalent bond, resulting in the formation of two separate fragments.

“The splitting of water molecules produces hydrogen and oxygen.”

“The researchers focused on the catalytic splitting of carbon-hydrogen bonds to develop more efficient synthetic pathways for organic compounds.”