Synonyms of shatter

shatter 1 of 2

verb

ˈsha-tər 

1

as in to destroy

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

tried to restore their shattered hopes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroy
• ruin
• demolish
• devastate
• smash
• wreck
• overcome
• damage
• erode
• pulverize
• vaporize
• annihilate
• decimate
• extinguish
• waste
• mar
• ravage
• break
• cripple
• raze
• crush
• dismantle
• desolate
• tear down
• kill
• total
• pull down
• cream
• injure
• defeat
• remove
• rub out
• disintegrate
• subdue
• wrack
• nuke
• blast
• impair
• do in
• best
• conquer
• dissolve
• surmount
• deteriorate
• spoil
• harm
• obliterate
• disfigure
• prevail (over)
• lick
• eradicate
• vitiate
• mutilate
• win (against)
• triumph (over)
• master
• whip
• trim
• mangle
• fell
• rout
• deface
• dynamite
• undo
• scotch
• beat
• sweep (away)
• overbear
• trample
• thrash
• expunge
• wear (away)
• unmake
• blow up
• assassinate
• clobber
• disassemble
• trounce
• scour
• efface
• wipe out
• sack
• exterminate
• wash out
• overmatch
• take down
• slay
• slaughter
• havoc
• extirpate
• gut
• liquidate
• blot out
• despoil
• cut down
• execute
• plunder
• snuff (out)
• zap
• drub
• wallop
• stamp (out)
• kill off
• loot
• vandalize
• murder
• unbuild
• pillage
• root (out)
• take out
• massacre
• dilapidate
• mow (down)
• butcher
• dispatch
• trash
• skunk

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• build
• construct
• raise
• create
• set up
• erect
• repair
• fix
• put up
• make
• produce
• mend
• patch
• rear
• establish
• invent
• protect
• found
• form
• constitute
• forge
• shape
• assemble
• manufacture
• mold
• preserve
• fabricate
• save
• organize
• frame
• bring about
• recondition
• restore
• institute
• revamp
• fashion
• reconstruct
• conserve
• rebuild
• doctor
• father
• renovate
• remodel

2

as in to smash

to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive

shattered the sealed clay pot to find out what was inside

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smash
• demolish
• destroy
• blow
• explode
• burst
• pop
• blast
• detonate
• blow up
• ruin
• annihilate
• wreck
• fragment
• decimate
• dynamite
• splinter
• discharge

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collapse
• implode

3

as in to demolish

to cause to break with violence and much noise

shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smash
• destroy
• demolish
• fracture
• fragment
• crash
• split
• ruin
• crack
• break down
• vaporize
• wreck
• crush
• annihilate
• devastate
• splinter
• desolate
• pulverize
• decimate
• tear down
• snap
• total
• waste
• shiver
• bust
• wrack
• nuke
• bash
• crunch

shatter

2 of 2

noun

as in splinter

Related Words

• splinter
• shard
• flake
• sliver
• shiver
• chip
• segment
• portion
• section
• remnant
• paring
• shred
• clipping
• remainder
• shaving
• fragment
• leftover
• stub
• atom
• molecule
• grain
• particle
• snip
• dribble
• mote
• scruple
• fleck
• patch
• crumb
• fraction
• speck
• nugget
• morsel
• granule
• snippet
• end
• tatter
• scrap
• tittle
• flyspeck
• nubbin
• piece
• bit
• cantle
• oddment

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shatter

Verb

His tragic, sudden death in a motorcycle accident in Turkey in 2008 shattered her world. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026

Whatever cloud of innocence has hung over Jo’s life until this point is shattered, both parents struggling how to navigate the horrible experience from an emotional as well as a purely bureaucratic perspective. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026

Noun

When a window shatters, your entire home is at risk of collapse or even being blown away. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 23 June 2026

The former should be soft and slightly flexible, such as rubber, and the latter should be impact- and shatter-resistant, such as polycarbonate. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 18 June 2026