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.
Carvana Co. is a “true disruptor,” with an online platform and customer experience that positions it to gain market share in the large but fragmented used-car market.
From MarketWatch
The group said it would push for a federal AI policy framework that “closes the cracks created by fragmented state laws.”
Dance and electronic music are in a curious place in this fragmented era, with an extraordinary amount of interesting music appearing every week that finds a very small yet devoted audience.
She listed several barriers to rapid adoption in Europe, ranging from fragmented regulations to the high cost of energy -- which makes it expensive to run the enormous data centres that power AI.
From Barron's
As for sales, Carvana looks set to capture the top market share in the highly fragmented used car industry as a share of vehicle volume in the fourth quarter of 2026, Wedbush estimated.
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.
