fragmentation

noun

frag·​men·​ta·​tion ˌfrag-mən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌmen-

1

: the act or process of fragmenting or making fragmentary

2

: the state of being fragmented or fragmentary

fragmentate

ˈfrag-mən-ˌtāt 

verb

Examples of fragmentation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prior to starting Beauty Rep, cofounders Keri Concannon and Olivia Schmid both worked in the medical aesthetics world at companies like AbbVie, Galderma and Clinical Skin, and were frustrated by the fragmentation across the category. —Emily Burns, Footwear News, 17 Nov. 2025

Geopolitical fragmentation, economic volatility, technological advances and more have led to unprecedented levels of uncertainty. —Harvard Business Review, 14 Nov. 2025

This led the conglomerate to start including fiber fragmentation in its wider water strategy, rather than siloing it on its own. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Nov. 2025

And some of these scientists—including Boslough—worry that other debris created by that fragmentation thousands of years ago could pose a risk to Earth. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

fragment entry 2 + -ation, probably after French fragmentation

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fragmentation

• fragmentation bomb
• fragmentation grenade

Rhymes for fragmentation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation