SHARD Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

shard

noun

Definition of shard

as in sliver

a small sharp piece of something (such as glass or pottery) Watch out for the shards of glass on the floor.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shard Students sitting with arms linked at the elbows could only see in shards through a picket of shin guards, restricting their view of the area where classmates and roommates were dragged one by one and zip-tied face down on the spring grass. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 Windows had been boarded up to avoid glass shards hurting anyone in case of an explosion. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 Smoke continued to rise from the twisted shards of metal, while the remains of the World Trade Center smoldered in a massive pile. — Sophia Leone, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Once the drop trap — a simple wire cage triggered by yanking on a cord — is set up with an enticing mix of sardines and shards of roast chicken on a cardboard tray inside, everyone moves out of sight behind massive logs a few yards away. — Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shard

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shard

Noun

Delta Air Lines, which accounts for a sliver of flights at CLT, told the Observer airports ultimately decide how gates are assigned, but airlines need dependable access to serve customers, and airports need flexibility to respond to changing demand.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2026
Just a sliver of Dimorphos is visible, below and slightly to the left of the main asteroid.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of sliver

Noun

Months later, the same group identified a similar protein fragment in the brain of a person with Down syndrome, a condition linked to an unusually high risk of Alzheimer’s-like pathology and dementia.

— Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Over time, these cracks can expand and connect, eventually causing metal fragments to break away inside the engine.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of fragment

Noun

Earning a ghostly reputation by avoiding gravity and nuclear forces, these abundant particles stream through us daily without leaving a single trace.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2026
The dark particles coat white snow and soak up heat from the sun, exacerbating melting that was already happening more quickly because of climate change.

— Connie Hanzhang Jin, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of particle

Noun

The pair are flip sides of the same coin; Kinney a speck of blue running in a red state, and Austin a Republican running in the Democratic stronghold of Connecticut.

— Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026
Chips could be destroyed by even a speck of dust, so factories became impregnable clean rooms, their workers clad in bunny suits.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of speck

Noun

After two years in power-play purgatory under assistant coach Newell Brown, during which the Kings placed 29th cumulatively, there’s finally a glimmer of hope for the power play with first-time NHL assistant Ray Whitney.

— Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
Wednesday’s loss didn’t have a glimmer of a comeback, resulting in an exhausting slog toward the final margin.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of glimmer

Noun

Against this monochrome, the lone splash of color, the little girl’s red coat, lands as one of the most devastating images in modern film.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2026
Picture windows dominate the 30 ample rooms, which are pleasingly clad in unfinished wood and shocking splashes of lime.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of splash

Noun

In addition, since all this debris is moving at orbital velocity, a fleck of paint traveling in the opposite direction to an operational satellite can hit it at a speed in excess of Mach 47.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
As few as 10 cells, hidden in an infinitesimal fleck of feces, can contaminate raw milk and trigger a fatal infection.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of fleck

Noun

El-Sayed didn’t win himself any favors with an arrogant acceptance speech delivered without a shred of grace.

— Kaitlyn Buss, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2026
Not every case deserves that kind of last-minute intervention, but in Duckett’s case nearly every shred of evidence presented at his original trial has been disproven or debunked.

— Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of shred

Browse Nearby Words

shaping up

shard

shards

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Shard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shard. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shard

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

valorous

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes