fragmented
Americanadjective
-
reduced to fragments.
-
existing or functioning as though broken into separate parts; disorganized; disunified.
a fragmented personality; a fragmented society.
Usage
What does fragmented mean? Fragmented is an adjective that describes things that have been reduced or divided into fragments—pieces that have been broken off of or detached from the whole.Fragment most commonly refers to a part that has broken off rather than one that has been separated gently or intentionally, like fragments of a broken vase or a broken bone. Such things can be described as fragmented.As a verb, fragment can mean to break into pieces or disintegrate, as in The empire fragmented into multiple states after the emperor’s death. Such an empire could be described as fragmented.Fragmented is perhaps most often applied to abstract or intangible things like this, in which case it usually means disorganized or disunified in some way. For example, a fragmented society is one in which there is an extreme lack of unity among different groups. This sense of the word often implies that the thing described as fragmented is broken or unhealthy in some way.The verb fragmentize can mean the same thing as the verb sense of fragment, and the adjective fragmentized is a synonym of fragmented.The related adjective fragmentary means something different: consisting of or reduced to fragments—disconnected or incomplete, as in fragmentary evidence.Example: My attention becomes fragmented when I’m working on too many projects.
Other Word Forms
- nonfragmented adjective
- overfragmented adjective
- unfragmented adjective
Etymology
Origin of fragmented
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A vast and fragmented pile of immigration statistics from dozens of countries, stitched together by The Wall Street Journal, depicts a historic pattern.
But a vast and fragmented pile of immigration statistics, stitched together by the Journal, depicts a historic pattern.
And Mr. Neville gives us a sense—not only through the audio but also in the fragmented imagery and abbreviated sequencing—of a superstar at loose ends.
Commerce is becoming fragmented, and prices on the basic building blocks of the economy are more volatile.
“The market fragmented overnight and margins compressed to nearly nothing,” Citrini wrote.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
