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

Conference expansion has shattered pretenses to regional coherence. — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026

Lizzie’s newfound happiness is shattered at the end of the second episode, however, when Abby enters her stepdaughter’s dovecote and beheads every bird inside after growing increasingly annoyed with their cooing during mating season. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Noun

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

Melamine is a shatter-resistant material that is perfect for outdoor dining—and all the potential accidents that come with busy households with kids or hosts who entertain a lot. — Erin Mayer, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 July 2026