Broken meaning

What does “broken” mean? Definitions, examples, synonyms and opposites.

“broken” is an adjective with 13 meanings. Its most common meaning is: physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split.

broken

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
“a broken mirror”
“a broken tooth”
Oppositesunbroken
not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly
“broken lines of defense”
“a broken cable transmission”
Oppositesunbroken
subdued or brought low in condition or status
“brought low”
“a broken man”
Synonymscrushed humbled humiliated low
(especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded
“broken (or unkept) promises”
“broken contracts”
Synonymsunkept
Oppositesunbroken
tamed or trained to obey
“a horse broken to the saddle”
“this old nag is well broken in”
Synonymsbroken in
topographically very uneven
“broken terrain”
“rugged ground”
Synonymsrugged
imperfectly spoken or written
“broken English”
thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
“troops fleeing in broken ranks”
“a confused mass of papers on the desk”
Synonymsconfused disordered upset
weakened and infirm
“broken health resulting from alcoholism”
destroyed financially
“the broken fortunes of the family”
Synonymswiped out impoverished
out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken')
“a broken washing machine”
“the coke machine is broken”
Synonymsbusted
discontinuous
“broken clouds”
“broken sunshine”
lacking a part or parts
“a broken set of encyclopedia”

Source: WordNet 3.1, Princeton University