Synonyms of broken

broken 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbrō-kən 

1

as in shattered

forcibly separated into many pieces

a broken vase that could not be repaired

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shattered
• fractured
• smashed
• fragmented
• damaged
• ruined
• busted
• collapsed
• split
• cracked
• destroyed
• fragile
• splintered
• exploded
• demolished
• blasted
• wrecked
• devastated
• mangled
• brittle
• mutilated
• disintegrated
• delicate
• pulverized
• breakable
• obliterated
• detonated
• imploded
• slivered
• wiped out
• frail
• extirpated
• frangible
• ruinate
• defaced
• dynamited
• eradicated
• exterminated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unbroken
• repaired
• fixed
• reconstructed
• mended
• healed
• patched
• unbreakable
• rebuilt
• infrangible

2

as in jagged

having an uneven edge or outline

the broken rim of the antique vase greatly reduces its value

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jagged
• ragged
• craggy
• scraggly
• scraggy
• rugged
• roughened
• serrated
• rough
• harsh
• irregular
• serrate
• bumpy
• saw-toothed
• coarse
• nonuniform

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• smooth
• soft
• regular
• even
• unbroken
• uniform
• flat
• level
• flush
• plane

3

as in uneven

not having a level or smooth surface

that portion of the hiking trail consists of a long, broken mountain ridge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jagged
• uneven
• rough
• rugged
• ragged
• irregular
• roughened
• wavy
• lumpy
• bumpy
• coarse
• pebbly
• scraggy
• unbalanced
• lopsided
• rutted
• unaligned
• pitted
• harsh
• pocked
• undulating
• inexact
• undulatory
• burred
• knobby
• scratchy
• knurled
• nubby
• scraggly
• rutty
• nonuniform
• knobbly
• nubbly
• knurly
• sandpapery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flat
• smooth
• even
• uniform
• level
• true
• exact
• regular
• aligned
• plane
• vertical
• straight
• horizontal
• tabular
• plumb
• flush

broken

2 of 2

verb

past participle of break

1

as in disrupted

to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly

hated telling her that I had broken her favorite glass vase

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disrupted
• fractured
• fragmented
• destroyed
• disintegrated
• shattered
• ruined
• reduced
• smashed
• busted
• dismembered
• riven
• ground
• broken up
• cracked
• split
• wrecked
• pulverized
• crushed
• exploded
• powdered
• chipped
• burst
• popped
• detonated
• splintered
• shivered
• blasted
• atomized
• blown up
• imploded
• slivered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repaired
• fixed
• rebuilt
• healed
• reconstructed
• mended
• patched
• renovated
• reconditioned
• doctored

2

as in stopped

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end

the final vote broke the deadlock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stopped
• ended
• halted
• ceased
• quit
• delayed
• suspended
• concluded
• broken off
• laid off
• cut off
• shut off
• left off
• given over
• discontinued
• broken up
• cut out
• packed (up or in)
• knocked off
• dropped
• had done with
• canned
• finished
• desisted (from)
• held
• blocked
• completed
• closed (down)
• put the kibosh on
• destroyed
• hindered
• obstructed
• stemmed
• impeded
• deactivated
• ruined
• checked
• suppressed
• stunted
• squashed
• held back
• called
• detained
• paused
• dammed
• demolished
• arrested
• killed
• abolished
• stamped
• stayed
• turned back
• dissolved
• blockaded
• clamped down
• scuttled
• squelched
• snuffed
• aborted
• braked
• annulled
• reined (in)
• kiboshed
• stanched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continued
• carried on
• run on
• kept up
• proceeded
• progressed
• advanced
• driven
• stirred
• propelled
• actuated
• followed through (with)
• impelled

3

as in demoted

to bring to a lower grade or rank

the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demoted
• reduced
• degraded
• downgraded
• busted
• laid off
• disrated
• dismissed
• sacked
• downsized
• humiliated
• canned
• fired
• cashiered
• humbled
• debased
• demeaned
• lowered
• abased

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• raised
• advanced
• promoted
• elevated
• hired

4

as in deciphered

to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language

Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deciphered
• solved
• cracked
• translated
• decoded
• decrypted
• unraveled
• rendered
• figured out
• doped (out)
• puzzled (out)
• worked out
• descrambled
• unscrambled
• worked
• unriddled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coded
• encoded
• encrypted
• mixed (up)
• ciphered
• garbled
• enciphered
• jumbled (up)

5

as in paused

to come to a temporary halt in one's activity

she broke from her ruminations to find that it was already dinnertime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• paused
• interrupted
• stopped
• held one's horses
• broken in
• caught one's breath
• hesitated
• ended
• finished
• ceased
• laid off
• discontinued
• terminated
• lapsed
• knocked off
• let up
• quit

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continued
• advanced
• persisted
• extended
• stretched
• prolonged
• progressed

6

as in plowed

to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement

farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plowed
• raked
• furrowed
• tilled
• cultivated
• fallowed
• harrowed
• hoed
• listed
• rototilled

7

as in violated

to fail to keep

had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violated
• breached
• fractured
• transgressed
• contravened
• infringed (on or upon)
• offended
• ignored
• traduced
• disobeyed
• rebelled
• neglected
• disregarded
• blown off
• resisted
• flouted
• passed over
• brushed (off)
• winked (at)
• dismissed
• tuned out
• scorned
• withstood
• slighted
• shrugged off
• overlooked
• defied
• overpassed
• pooh-poohed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• followed
• observed
• served
• submitted (to)
• complied (with)
• obeyed
• yielded (to)
• heard
• marked
• conformed (to)
• noted
• noticed
• regarded
• surrendered (to)
• deferred (to)
• watched
• minded
• listened (to)
• attended
• heeded

8

as in solved

to find an answer for through reasoning

Professor Bates broke the problem when she realized that it was possible to synthesize the necessary compounds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• solved
• resolved
• cracked
• unraveled
• figured out
• doped (out)
• riddled (out)
• answered
• puzzled (out)
• worked out
• worked
• unriddled
• deduced
• inferred
• straightened (out)
• untied
• ironed out
• reasoned
• judged
• concluded
• presumed
• decided
• cleared (up)
• divined
• speculated
• gathered
• assumed
• conjectured
• untangled
• guessed
• deciphered
• decoded
• unscrambled

9

as in hurt

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

I broke a tooth on the hard candy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hurt
• damaged
• injured
• impaired
• flawed
• compromised
• crippled
• disfigured
• marred
• shattered
• harmed
• bloodied
• crossed (up)
• dented
• smashed
• defaced
• blemished
• ruined
• spoiled
• crabbed
• weakened
• vitiated
• undermined
• deteriorated
• wasted
• crushed
• destroyed
• endamaged
• eroded
• wounded
• tarnished
• worn (away)
• enfeebled
• battered
• wrecked
• blighted
• demolished
• scoured
• enervated
• mangled
• mutilated
• lacerated
• tortured
• washed out
• botched
• tormented
• disabled
• decimated
• maimed
• wiped out
• pulverized
• hamstrung
• lamed
• dashed
• dinted
• dinged
• torn down
• devastated
• gummed (up)
• desolated
• razed
• annihilated
• clobbered
• totaled
• scourged
• bashed
• queered
• done in
• banged up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repaired
• fixed
• rebuilt
• reconstructed
• mended
• patched
• renovated
• reconditioned
• helped
• revamped
• healed
• cured
• doctored
• remedied
• rectified
• rehabilitated
• revised
• improved
• edited
• remodeled
• enhanced
• refined
• enriched
• perfected
• ameliorated
• bettered
• meliorated

10

as in stalled

to stop functioning

after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stalled
• died
• crashed
• failed
• given out
• cut out
• broken down
• jammed
• conked (out)
• sputtered
• malfunctioned
• wheezed
• fizzled
• acted up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• started (up)

11

as in bolted

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening

the herd of gazelles broke when they saw the lions racing toward them from the ridge above

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bolted
• fled
• flown
• retreated
• escaped
• run
• run off
• run away
• beaten it
• bugged out
• turned tail
• hightailed (it)
• made tracks
• skedaddled
• beaten a retreat
• got (away)
• got out
• lit
• skipped (out)
• made off
• absconded
• cleared out
• decamped
• scrammed
• eloped
• lammed
• mizzled
• scatted
• skirred
• scarpered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confronted
• faced
• defied
• dared
• bearded
• remained
• braved
• stayed
• lingered
• hung around
• dwelled
• tarried
• stuck around
• abided

12

as in worn

to use up all the physical energy of

the trek up the mountain just about broke me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• worn
• tired
• exhausted
• killed
• drained
• harassed
• wearied
• burned out
• knocked out
• worn out
• fatigued
• wasted
• weakened
• outworn
• busted
• washed out
• done up
• fagged
• frazzled
• done in
• worn to a frazzle
• tuckered (out)
• sapped
• debilitated
• enfeebled
• enervated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• activated
• strengthened
• energized
• rested
• relaxed
• rejuvenated
• invigorated
• vitalized
• unwound

13

as in unfolded

to become known

as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unfolded
• spread
• circulated
• leaked (out)
• got out
• come out
• got round
• got about
• got around
• revealed
• spilled
• developed
• transpired
• outed
• disclosed
• told

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suppressed
• hidden
• concealed
• disguised
• masked
• hushed (up)
• secreted

14

as in ruined

to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts

another bad investment could break him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruined
• bankrupted
• busted
• reduced
• impoverished
• cleaned (out)
• wiped out
• pauperized
• beggared
• straitened

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enriched
• richened

15

as in originated

to come into existence

the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• originated
• arisen
• begun
• been
• started
• commenced
• set in
• arrived
• appeared
• existed
• lived
• sprung
• formed
• dawned
• engendered
• emerged
• actualized
• materialized
• lasted
• breathed
• survived
• subsisted
• come on
• persisted
• shaped (up)
• continued
• endured
• coalesced
• cohered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ended
• stopped
• ceased
• finished
• concluded
• terminated
• disappeared
• halted
• discontinued
• dissolved
• vanished
• died
• quit
• evaporated
• expired
• departed
• passed away
• perished
• desisted

16

as in veered

to depart abruptly from a straight line or course

the running back broke to his left before running out of bounds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• veered
• cut
• circled
• curled
• curved
• arched
• sheered
• bowed
• turned
• wandered
• swerved
• yawed
• swept
• crooked
• twisted
• skewed
• rounded
• bent
• pivoted
• zagged
• zigged
• wound
• arced
• hooked
• spiraled
• looped
• coiled
• weaved
• slewed
• wheeled
• strayed
• deviated
• zigzagged
• wavered
• about-faced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightened

17

as in reduced

to diminish the price or value of

distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduced
• sunk
• devalued
• depressed
• attenuated
• depreciated
• written off
• devaluated
• written down
• downgraded
• marked down
• lowered
• cheapened
• debased
• shrunk
• underestimated
• compressed
• demonetized
• undervalued
• underrated
• dwindled
• downsized
• deflated
• contracted
• lessened
• underpriced
• moderated
• abridged
• de-escalated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enhanced
• upgraded
• appreciated
• marked up
• inflated
• blown up
• increased
• added
• extended
• augmented
• expanded
• bloated
• enlarged
• raised
• overestimated
• overpriced
• swelled
• multiplied
• overrated
• compounded
• overvalued
• amplified
• dilated
• escalated
• boosted
• heightened
• maximized
• upped
• ballooned
• aggrandized

18

as in exceeded

to go beyond the limit of

a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exceeded
• invaded
• transcended
• surpassed
• outrun
• overstepped
• overshot
• overreached
• overrun
• entrenched
• encroached
• outreached
• trespassed
• infringed
• overpassed
• overused
• overworked
• overdone
• overutilized

19

as in emerged

to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below

dolphins were breaking all around the boat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• emerged
• risen
• surfaced
• broached

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dropped
• sunk
• submerged
• plunged
• drowned
• dived
• foundered
• submersed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of broken

Adjective

However, technology isn’t the entire answer for replacing broken handoffs. — Stu Sjouwerman, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Or, say, using a glove, some Vaseline, and a handful of broken glass as both a weapon and a way of goosing a battle scene. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Verb

Even successful popping can mean that the skin barrier has been broken. — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026

Peters argues that audit AI is arriving in a labor market that was already broken. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026