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.
But in a letter to NHS England and a small group of patient advocates, Manas said the central body had created a "fragmented" system "with poor accountability".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Hichilema is seeking a second term against a fragmented field of opposition candidates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“We cannot scale frontier technology on top of fragmented processes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
But no such revival was forthcoming: The conservative movement fragmented after Kirk’s death, divided by a host of wild conspiracy theories over the “real story” behind the killing.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
Behind these and other proximate factors, I saw an “Optimal Fragmentation Principle”: ultimate geographic factors that led to China becoming unified early and mostly remaining unified thereafter, while Europe remained constantly fragmented.
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.
