fragmentary

adjective frag·men·tary \ ˈfrag-mən-ˌter-ē \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Examples: fragmentary in a Sentence

Definition of fragmentary

: consisting of fragments : incomplete

fragmentary evidence

a fragmentary account

—

fragmentarily

play \ˌfrag-mən-ˈter-ə-lē\ adverb

—

fragmentariness

play \ˈfrag-mən-ˌter-ē-nəs\ noun

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Examples of fragmentary in a Sentence

discovering fragmentary remains of primitive animals
the historical record of this pharaoh's life and reign is fragmentary at best

Recent Examples of fragmentary from the Web

But reports from the field are often fragmentary and there is much discretion in when to alert the trauma team.

— jenny gold, kaiser health news and sarah kliff, Washington Post, "A Baby Was Treated With A Nap And A Bottle Of Formula. The Bill Was $18,000.," 2 July 2018
Rather, our conscious visual experience is stitched together out of these fragmentary static views.

— daniel glaser, A-LIST, "Out of Your Mind," 1 July 2018
My stories and poems are dreams and visions that ‘appear’ and are augmented by fragmentary observations.

— frederick n. rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, "Elisabeth S. Schleussner, former Baltimore Sun art and architecture critic," 27 June 2018
This is a lot of territory to cover in 45 minutes and necessarily fragmentary.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "From 19th Century Memphis to modern-day L.A.: Master Chorale time-travels through 'dreams of the new world'," 15 May 2018
Many of the works are composed of multiple, fragmentary objects made of plain canvas or lead wrapped around stretchers, which build up to loopy, engaging, figurative abstractions.

— charles desmarais, San Francisco Chronicle, "Charles Desmarais’ art picks for April 29," 4 May 2018
Many of the works are composed of multiple, fragmentary objects made of plain canvas or lead wrapped around stretchers, which build up to loopy, engaging, figurative abstractions.

— charles desmarais, San Francisco Chronicle, "Charles Desmarais’ art picks for April 29," 4 May 2018
For more than a century the only known skulls of the ancient bird Ichthyornis were either fragmentary, smashed flat or both.

— sid perkins, Scientific American, "New Fossils Offer Clues about a Primordial Bird Beak," 2 May 2018
In the book’s final form — fragmentary, cyclical, a collection of scraps and dreams — conversations still echo throughout.

— molly fischer, The Cut, "Should Sheila Heti Have a Baby?," 1 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fragmentary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fragmentary

¹fragment + ²-ary

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First Known Use: 1611

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FRAGMENTARY Defined for English Language Learners

fragmentary

adjective

Definition of fragmentary for English Language Learners

: made up of parts or pieces : made up of fragments

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fragmentary

Definition of fragmentary

fragmentarily

fragmentariness

Examples of fragmentary in a Sentence

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fragmentary Synonyms

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FRAGMENTARY Defined for English Language Learners

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