broken home
Fractured family unit
A broken home is a family disrupted by divorce, separation, or parental absence.
The term carries judgmental overtones, implying dysfunction or damage to children raised in such households: He blamed his troubles on coming from a broken home.
The phrase has fallen out of favor as single-parent and blended families have become more common and less stigmatized.
Protective care or control
- alimonyCourt-ordered post-divorce payments
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
- family courtTribunal for household legal matters
- co-parentingJoint child-rearing by separated adults
visitation · dissolution · mediation · spousal support · irreconcilable differences · adultery · infidelity · divorcee
Deep emotional distress
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- lonelinessState of lacking companions
emotional scars · wounded · neglect · rejection · loss · suffering · distress · alienation
Violent disturbance or confusion
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- disruptionForceful interruption of process
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- upheavalViolent disturbance of order
dysfunction · insecurity · tension · conflict · displacement · transience · moving · shuttling
State of being apart
- apartIn different locations
- distanceSpace between two points
- absent parentCaretaker not in child's life
- visitationOfficial or formal visit
split-up · growing apart · disconnect · reunification · reconciliation · parental alienation · non-custodial · lost contact
custody
Protective care or control
- alimonyCourt-ordered post-divorce payments
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
- family courtTribunal for household legal matters
co-parenting · visitation · dissolution · mediation · spousal support · irreconcilable differences · adultery · infidelity · divorcee · custody battle
heartache
Deep emotional distress
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
loneliness · emotional scars · wounded · neglect · rejection · loss · suffering · distress · alienation · trust issues
turmoil
Violent disturbance or confusion
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- disruptionForceful interruption of process
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
upheaval · dysfunction · insecurity · tension · conflict · displacement · transience · moving · shuttling · inconsistency
separation
State of being apart
- apartIn different locations
- distanceSpace between two points
- absent parentCaretaker not in child's life
visitation · split-up · growing apart · disconnect · reunification · reconciliation · parental alienation · non-custodial · lost contact · chosen family
- family dramafamily bonds, sibling rivalry, family reunion, kinship, family secret
- toxic familydysfunction, family secret, scapegoat, golden child, favoritism
- divorcedivorce court, divorce decree, divorce papers, divorce filing, divorce lawyer
- homehouse, home, apartment, condo, bathroom
break, broken, breaking, unbroken, breakdown, breakable, unbreakable, breaker, heartbroken