1
as in destroying
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
2
as in smashing
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
3
as in demolishing
to cause to break with violence and much noise
shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shattering
Martha had a confidence-shattering experience with her previous boyfriend.
—
Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Atlanta Police Department During the incident, a stray bullet struck an Atlanta Public Schools bus, shattering one of its windows.
—Cbs News Atlanta Staff, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
But record-shattering heat will continue in the Southeast, with no relief coming this weekend.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Iran has responded by launching thousands of projectiles at cities across neighboring Arab states, shattering the stability the region had long.
—Becky Anderson, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Within just 48 hours, two autonomous couriers from different companies veered off course and collided with shelters shattering glass and alarming nearby residents.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
In some grass species shattering can be turned off by just one or two gene mutations.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Bakri is responsible for many soul-shattering moments in Cherien Dabis’s exemplary multigenerational epic All That’s Left of You (now on digital), and the first takes place after an elementary-school lesson.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
An arson attack destroyed four ambulances at a Jewish charity in London’s Golders Green, shattering the community’s sense of security.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Atlanta Police Department During the incident, a stray bullet struck an Atlanta Public Schools bus, shattering one of its windows.
—Cbs News Atlanta Staff, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
But record-shattering heat will continue in the Southeast, with no relief coming this weekend.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Iran has responded by launching thousands of projectiles at cities across neighboring Arab states, shattering the stability the region had long.
—Becky Anderson, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Within just 48 hours, two autonomous couriers from different companies veered off course and collided with shelters shattering glass and alarming nearby residents.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
In some grass species shattering can be turned off by just one or two gene mutations.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Bakri is responsible for many soul-shattering moments in Cherien Dabis’s exemplary multigenerational epic All That’s Left of You (now on digital), and the first takes place after an elementary-school lesson.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
An arson attack destroyed four ambulances at a Jewish charity in London’s Golders Green, shattering the community’s sense of security.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shattering
Verb
-
The Pentagon has generally lumped it into the first objective of destroying Iran’s missile capability.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
But there may be an answer, or at least a compromise that will satisfy those unhappy with the idea of destroying a usable building.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the men is seen on surveillance video smashing the front door with a metal object and connecting the ATM to the vehicle using a metal cable.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Particle accelerators like the LHC typically work by firing beams of particles at nearly the speed of light and smashing them together.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
-
To figure out its mechanism, Julius’s team had to somehow extract it from cells without ruining the very properties the researchers were trying to understand.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the grumblings about demolishing the library building have lately become a roaring debate.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Israel’s defense minister said the military would accelerate demolishing homes along the southern Lebanese border and destroy all bridges over the Litani River.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Our team found that a hospital cyberattack cut the odds of surviving a cardiac arrest without devastating brain damage by nearly 90% at nearby hospitals, not just the one that was attacked.—
Christian Dameff,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Israel has stepped up assassinations of top Iranian officials in recent days, in what the Israel Defense Forces said was a push to undermine command and control in Iran after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes that have wiped out military infrastructure but not dislodged the regime.—
Victoria Craw,
Washington Post,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The winds are blowing the rain ashore, creating dangerous conditions on the water and the beaches.—
Scott Withers,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The series came to an excruciating end Sunday with the Sox blowing a five-run lead and falling 9-7 in front of 32,737 at American Family Field.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This might drive like a dirt race, giving Reddick, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell a chance to shine as their cars are on the verge of wrecking.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The episode about Secret Squirrel and the perils of surveillance culture feels more relevant than ever, as does the climate-change episode in which the time-traveling Jetson family sues people of the present for wrecking their future.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the affordability backlash is on the brink of exploding in another sector of the economy, where the AI boom is already raising the price of consumer electronics.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The deals are exploding all over Amazon's Big Spring Sale, and all of the top computer brands are getting in on the action.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shattering. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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