SHARDS Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

shards

noun

plural of shard

as in slivers

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

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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 shards But Johnson’s lasting impact came from an uncanny ability to grab the all-encompassing darkness of his life and pull out jagged shards of beauty. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026 On a recent Thursday morning, Richetts’ artworks, the colorful shards of smooth shiny glass, were indeed speaking the language of healing — and spreading the gospel Richetts has been preaching for decades. — Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026 Schippers created the work as part of a Floor Covering Series, which also included floors covered with glass shards and salt. — ABC News, 9 July 2026 The laminate reinforces the glass to create a shatter-resistant barrier, preventing shards of glass from flying out during extreme weather. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 With grit and one-liners, this American hero navigates air vents and glass shards to save the day. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026 The genetic blood disease can feel like shards of glass racing through veins, attacking every organ, Ogunsile said. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 29 June 2026 Hall had shards of glass in his chest when he was found, per Utilma Hora. — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026 From the construction debris and pottery shards, in Hadrian’s day, the structure appeared to archaeologists to have been abandoned. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shards

Noun

This white and pink ombré set is elevated with gold slivers to outline each nail.

— Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 15 June 2026
Arranged over the top are dollops of crema and slivers of pickled yellow squash.

— Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

Definition of slivers

Noun

Instead of communicating with the other operator to decide who will make the dodge, Starlink satellites automatically avoid other objects — both space debris fragments or operational satellites — whenever there is a conjunction alert.

— Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Rainfall likely caused any additional meteorite fragments that fell outside to disintegrate.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

Definition of fragments

Noun

Storm clouds forming around the smoke in the atmosphere could create dirty rain, but it is more commonly formed with larger particles compared to the smoke’s fine particulate matter.

— Nicole Pilsbury, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2026
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which two or more particles become connected.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026

Definition of particles

Noun

Six months later, there was hope of reconciliation as sovereignty talks opened between the governments over the specks in the ocean that had been part of the British Empire for more than a century.

— Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2026
Bellinger, once a babyface, now sports some light specks of gray.

— Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of specks

Noun

Through Taylor-Joy’s character, the series reminds us to face ourselves, even the broken and painful bits that feel shameful.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 July 2026
What otherwise might have been worthless bits of trash commanded the highest bids due to where the two items were 57 years ago—lifting off aboard NASA’s Apollo 11 spacecraft on humanity’s first mission to land astronauts on the Moon.

— Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026

Definition of bits

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“Shards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shards. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shards

noun

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