SHATTER Synonyms: 221 Similar and Opposite Words

shatter 1 of 2

verb

ˈsha-tər

Definition of shatter

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to demolish

to cause to break with violence and much noise shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall

Synonyms & Similar Words

shatter

2 of 2

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 shatter

Verb

Harford County Sheriff's Office The sliding door was shattered. — Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026 Michelle, the 2001 school shooting survivor and a mother of children at Silver Rail Elementary School, carried for years the knowledge that gun violence could shatter an ordinary day without warning. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Noun

They’re also made with shatter-resistant glass and nest together to save valuable cabinet space. — Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 18 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 See All Example Sentences for shatter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatter

Verb

Rather than undertaking the difficult but just and moral work of reform of the nation's immigration laws, Vance would destroy and expel their families with a smile, claiming that such actions will save you money.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Running low on fuel, NASA chose to steer Cassini straight into Saturn's atmosphere, where the spacecraft was destroyed.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

In Tirana this week, protesters smashed windows, set alight government buildings and clashed with police.

— Reuters, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Federal officials maintain the immigration officers believed their lives were in danger and opened fire only after Belgal smashed his car into two government vehicles and accelerated toward them.

— Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of smash

Noun

From there, Bono and McDaid did a rewrite of the lyrics to make it about a mother watching her family splinter, and, the magazine says, Parton agreed to sing the new Bono/McDaid version of her tune.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Pushing those briars aside revealed a single splinter of stained glass, bright as a ruby and warm as blood.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of splinter

Verb

Burdick seemed to have drawn directly from McCarthy’s experience, the hopelessness of fighting with his father over a world his father had already ruined, the surrender to indulgence and mindless violence because…why not?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Each room is also outfitted with a Yale smart lock, which means there’s no room for that horrible feeling of losing a room key to ruin your vacation.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruin

Verb

The building’s owner previously told The Star the building would not be demolished and that it could be redeveloped.

— Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
The 18-year-old female elephant got loose from her handler outside her enclosure, then went on the run, demolishing the door of a saloon on North Avenue, smashing in the window of another and walking through the fence around a vacant lot.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of demolish

Noun

Each is almost seven by five feet, and most establish a broad field of color—blue, crimson, orange—across which migrate sharp and irregular shapes, some like long teeth or spears, others like shards of obsidian.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Try topping with a plop of Greek yogurt or some shards of feta.

— Emma Laperruque, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of shard

Verb

Non-consensually posted intimate images can devastate women – and beget male bonding.

— Brittany Luse, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
That pad, now dubbed LC-36A, was devastated by a massive explosion during a test back in May, but construction crews have worked 24/7 to try and build it back to launch capability before the end of the year.

— Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of devastate

Verb

Ocean iron fertilization grew from the idea that iron-rich dust blown across the oceans during past ice ages fed blooms of phytoplankton, helping to lower atmospheric CO₂.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
But head coach Ben Johnson isn't going to be happy that his team nearly blew a 24-point lead with just over 12 minutes to go.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of blow

Browse Nearby Words

sharp-witted

shatter

shattered

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Style

“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatter. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shatter

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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