fragmentation

[frag-muh n-tey-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fragmentation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of fragmenting; state of being fragmented.

the disintegration, collapse, or breakdown of norms of thought, behavior, or social relationship.

the pieces of an exploded fragmentation bomb or grenade.

Computers. the process, or result, of storing a file in non-contiguous sectors on a disk. As files are created, modified, deleted, etc., both the allocation of the files and the remaining free space on the disk become fragmented, slowing down data access speed on the disk.

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Nearby words

Origin of fragmentation

First recorded in 1880–85; fragment + -ation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fragmentation

Instead, we have irony, allusion, meta commentary, fragmentation, parody, and pastiche.
Not Much New in Douglas Rushkoff’s Reading of the Future|Jacob Silverman|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In this sense the fragmentation of the opposition could also work against Netanyahu.
What Went Wrong For Netanyahu|Bernard Avishai|January 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So too is the fragmentation of the FSA when it comes to command and control.
Richard Engel’s Kidnapping: A Behind the Scenes Look|Jamie Dettmer|December 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Given the fragmentation of Syrian society, disarmament will be a major challenge.
Back the Syrian Rebels. But Don’t Intervene|P.J. Crowley|December 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Private-sector experience has demonstrated that fragmentation can be overcome.
What I Learned About Health Care in the 1990s|Dick Gephardt|July 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Time has long ago yielded to fragmentation, been divided into minute parts and each part carefully measured.
The Mystery of Space|Robert T. Browne
The fragmentation bombs were a late development in this class of work.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell
The course of the missile was from behind forward, causing a transverse fracture of the humerus with some fragmentation.
Gunshot Roentgenograms|Clyde S. Ford
The course of the missile was transverse from without inward, with a transverse fracture and fragmentation.
Gunshot Roentgenograms|Clyde S. Ford
The missile struck the bone and caused a long, splitting fracture, with some fragmentation of the proximal fragment.
Gunshot Roentgenograms|Clyde S. Ford

British Dictionary definitions for fragmentation

fragmentation

noun

the act of fragmenting or the state of being fragmented

the disintegration of norms regulating behaviour, thought, and social relationships

the steel particles of an exploded projectile

(modifier) of or relating to a weapon designed to explode into many small pieces, esp as an antipersonnel weapona fragmentation bomb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fragmentation

fragmentation

1881, from fragment + -ation. Fragmentation grenade attested from 1918.

Science definitions for fragmentation

fragmentation

[frăg′mən-tā′shən]

The scattering of parts of a computer file across different regions of a disk. Fragmentation occurs when the operating system breaks up the file and stores it in locations left vacant by previously deleted files. The more fragmented the file, the slower it is to retrieve, since each piece of the file must be identified and located on the disk.