fragmented
Americanadjective
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reduced to fragments.
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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
Etymology
Origin of fragmented
Explanation
Things that are fragmented are broken into very small pieces or divided into factions. When voters are bitterly split, unable to find common ground, they are fragmented. You can describe the ancient shards of pottery at an archeological dig as fragmented, or the pieces of the bowl you just dropped on the kitchen floor. It's also good for talking about something that doesn't form a coherent whole: "The movie's fragmented plot made it hard to understand," or "The whole country is fragmented, and this election isn't helping matters." The Latin root, fragmentum, means "a piece broken off."
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 still fragmented market offers more acquisition opportunities, Williams said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
The system is "fragmented, overly complex and too slow to learn and improve," Baroness Amos noted in her report.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Investors see potential in Colombia’s strong institutions, despite a fragmented Congress.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
Residents want walkable cities yet oversight of pedestrian pathways is fragmented across different arms of government.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
Besides a small and fragmented population, the other limitation on development in New Guinea was geographic isolation, restricting the inflow of technology and ideas from elsewhere.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
