Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Physically damaged, separated into pieces, or no longer functioning: Describes something that has been fractured, shattered, or is not in working order.
   • Interrupted or not continuous: Refers to something that is disrupted, intermittent, or lacking smoothness in sequence, pattern, or flow.
   • Emotionally defeated or subdued: Describes a person who is overwhelmed by sorrow, despair, or hardship, often resulting in a loss of spirit or vitality.
   • Violated or not kept: Pertains to promises, agreements, or laws that have been disregarded or not fulfilled.
   • Imperfectly spoken or written: Describes language that is spoken haltingly or with grammatical errors, typically by a non-native speaker.
   • Topographically uneven: Describes land that is rugged, irregular, or full of obstacles.

Usage Examples

• Physically damaged:
  • He fixed the broken window.
  • My phone is broken and won't turn on.
• Interrupted or not continuous:
  • She slept for a few broken hours.
  • The broken line on the map indicates a trail.
• Emotionally defeated:
  • After the loss, he was a broken man.
  • She spoke with a broken voice, full of emotion.
• Violated or not kept:
  • I can't trust him because of his broken promises.
• Imperfectly spoken:
  • The tourist spoke in broken English to ask for directions.
• Topographically uneven:
  • The car struggled over the broken ground.

Advanced Usage

• "broken home": a family in which the parents are divorced or separated.
  • The child from a broken home needed extra support at school.
• "broken record": someone who keeps repeating the same thing annoyingly (like a scratched vinyl record that skips).
  • Stop being such a broken record about the rules!
• "to die of a broken heart": to suffer severely from grief or emotional pain.
  • In the old story, the heroine died of a broken heart.

Variants and Related Words

• Break (verb): to separate into pieces, to interrupt, or to fail to observe.
• Brokenly (adverb): in a broken, interrupted, or halting manner.
  • He spoke brokenly through his tears.
• Unbroken (adjective): not broken; continuous or intact.
  • She maintained an unbroken silence.

Synonyms

• Shattered: violently broken into many pieces (often for physical or emotional states).
• Fractured: broken or cracked (often for bones or objects).
• Interrupted: having its continuity broken.
• Defeated: overcome or subdued.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Break down:
  • To stop functioning (for machines).

    • My car broke down on the highway.
  • To lose emotional control.

    • She broke down and cried when she heard the news.
• Break up:
  • To end a relationship.

    • They decided to break up last month.
  • To separate into smaller pieces.

    • The meeting broke up into smaller discussion groups.

Related Idioms

• Broken dreams: hopes or ambitions that have failed or been destroyed.
  • The abandoned factory was a monument to the town's broken dreams.
• Pick up the pieces: to try to return to a normal life after a difficult or damaging event.
  • After the bankruptcy, it took years for the family to pick up the pieces.

Adjective

1. lacking a part or parts
   • a broken set of encyclopedia
2. discontinuous
   • broken clouds
   • broken sunshine
3. out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken')
   • a broken washing machine
   • the coke machine is broken
   • the coke machine is busted
4. destroyed financially
   • the broken fortunes of the family
5. weakened and infirm
   • broken health resulting from alcoholism
6. thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
   • troops fleeing in broken ranks
   • a confused mass of papers on the desk
   • the small disordered room
   • with everything so upset
7. imperfectly spoken or written
   • broken English
8. topographically very uneven
   • broken terrain
   • rugged ground
9. tamed or trained to obey
   • a horse broken to the saddle
   • this old nag is well broken in
10. (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded
    • broken (or unkept) promises
    • broken contracts
11. subdued or brought low in condition or status
    • brought low
    • a broken man
    • his broken spirit
12. not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly
    • broken lines of defense
    • a broken cable transmission
    • broken sleep
    • tear off the stub above the broken line
    • a broken note
    • broken sobs
13. physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
    • a broken mirror
    • a broken tooth
    • a broken leg
    • his neck is broken