broken
verb
[ ˈbrəʊk(ə)n ]
• past participle of break1.
broken
adjective
• having been broken.
• "he had a broken arm"
Similar:
smashed,
shattered,
burst,
fragmented,
splintered,
shivered,
crushed,
snapped,
rent,
torn,
ruptured,
separated,
severed,
in bits,
in pieces,
destroyed,
wrecked,
demolished,
disintegrated,
cracked,
split,
chipped,
in smithereens/smithers,
fractured,
damaged,
injured,
maimed,
• (of a person) having given up all hope; despairing.
• "he went to his grave a broken man"
Similar:
defeated,
beaten,
vanquished,
overpowered,
overwhelmed,
subdued,
demoralized,
dispirited,
discouraged,
dejected,
crushed,
humbled,
dishonoured,
ruined,
crippled,
• having breaks or gaps in continuity.
• "a broken white line across the road"
Similar:
interrupted,
disturbed,
fitful,
disrupted,
disconnected,
discontinuous,
fragmentary,
intermittent,
unsettled,
sporadic,
spasmodic,
erratic,
troubled,
incomplete,
• having an uneven and rough surface.
• "he pressed onwards over the broken ground"
Similar:
uneven,
rough,
irregular,
bumpy,
jagged,
ragged,
craggy,
rutted,
pitted,
rutty,
break
verb
• separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.
• "the branch broke with a loud snap"
Similar:
shatter,
smash,
smash to smithereens,
crack,
snap,
fracture,
fragment,
splinter,
disintegrate,
fall to bits,
fall to pieces,
split,
burst,
blow out,
tear,
rend,
sever,
rupture,
separate,
divide,
bust,
shiver,
• interrupt (a sequence, course, or continuous state).
• "his concentration was broken by a sound"
• fail to observe (a law, regulation, or agreement).
• "the council says it will prosecute traders who break the law"
Similar:
contravene,
violate,
fail to comply with,
fail to observe,
disobey,
infringe,
breach,
commit a breach of,
transgress against,
defy,
flout,
fly in the face of,
ignore,
disregard,
infract,
Opposite:
keep,
abide by,
• crush the emotional strength, spirit, or resistance of.
• "the idea was to better the prisoners, not to break them"
• (of the weather) change suddenly, especially after a fine spell.
• "the weather broke and thunder rumbled through a leaden sky"
• (of news or a scandal) suddenly become public.
• "since the news broke I've received thousands of wonderful letters"
Similar:
erupt,
burst out,
break out,
• (chiefly of an attacking player or team, or of a military force) make a rush or dash in a particular direction.
• "Mitchell won possession and broke quickly, allowing Hughes to score"
Origin:
Old English brecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’.
