broken
brokenly
Something that's broken is severely damaged — it's either split into pieces or doesn't work anymore. Your broken alarm clock is no help at all when you're trying to get to school on time!
If your arm is broken, the bone is physically damaged and needs time to heal before you can use it the way you normally do. And if your mom's favorite teapot is broken after being dropped on the floor, it may be beyond repair. Other things can be metaphorically broken, like a family split by divorce, speech that's not fluent, or your heart: "It's sad that you guys split up, but you're not going to die of a broken heart."
Definitions of broken
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physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split“a broken mirror”“a broken tooth”“a broken leg”“his neck is broken”
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lacking a part or parts“a broken set of encyclopedia”
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Synonyms:
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incomplete, uncomplete
not complete or total; not completed
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incomplete, uncomplete
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out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken')
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not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly“broken lines of defense”“a broken cable transmission”“broken sleep”“tear off the stub above the broken line”“a broken note”“broken sobs”
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Synonyms:
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broken-field
varying in direction suddenly and frequently
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dashed, dotted
having gaps or spaces
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fitful, interrupted, off-and-on
intermittently stopping and starting
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halting
fragmentary or halting from emotional strain
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discontinuous, noncontinuous
not continuing without interruption in time or space
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Antonyms:
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unbroken
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
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solid
uninterrupted in space; having no gaps or breaks
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uninterrupted
having undisturbed continuity
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continuous, uninterrupted
continuing in time or space without interruption
- show more antonyms...
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broken-field
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discontinuous
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topographically very uneven
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imperfectly spoken or written“broken English”
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Synonyms:
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imperfect
not perfect; defective or inadequate
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imperfect
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(especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded
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weakened and infirm
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Synonyms:
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impaired
diminished in strength, quality, or utility
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impaired
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subdued or brought low in condition or status“a broken man”“his broken spirit”
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synonyms:
crushed, humbled, humiliated, low
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humble
marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
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humble
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thrown into a state of disarray or confusion“troops fleeing in broken ranks”
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synonyms:
confused, disordered, upset
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disorganised, disorganized
lacking order or methodical arrangement or function
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disorganised, disorganized
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tamed or trained to obey
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destroyed financially“the broken fortunes of the family”
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synonyms:
impoverished, wiped out
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destroyed
spoiled or ruined or demolished
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destroyed
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘broken'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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