What does "broken" mean?
past participle of break
Broken
/ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/ adj, name, verb, slang
adj, name, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: past participle of break
- Grammar: broken is listed as adj, name, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aggravated, aloof, ausgespielt, banjaxed.
- Useful contrasts: continuous, intact, working.
- Usage evidence: Throw away the chairs whose legs are broken.
How to use "broken"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "broken" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "broken" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "broken" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "broken" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "broken" is acting as adj, name, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aggravated" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "broken", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 past participle of break form-of, participle, past
Adjective
- 1 Fragmented; in separate pieces.
"One recent morning the team had to replace a broken weather research station."
- 2 Fragmented; in separate pieces.; Fractured; having the bone in pieces.
"My arm is broken!"
- 3 Fragmented; in separate pieces.; Split or ruptured.
"A dog bit my leg and now the skin is broken."
- 4 Fragmented; in separate pieces.; Dashed; made up of short lines with small gaps between each one and the next.
- 5 Fragmented; in separate pieces.; Interrupted; not continuous.
"Then the circle would lie down again, and here and there a wolf would resume its broken nap."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 Fragmented; in separate pieces.; Five-eighths to seven-eighths obscured by clouds; incompletely covered by clouds.
"Tomorrow: broken skies."
- 7 Fragmented; in separate pieces.; Having periods of silence scattered throughout; not regularly continuous.
"A cuckoo sat on a gate-post singing his broken June tune[.]"
- 8 Breached; violated; not kept.
"broken promises of neutrality"
- 9 Non-functional; not functioning properly.
"I think my doorbell is broken."
- 10 Non-functional; not functioning properly.; Disconnected, no longer open or carrying traffic.
- 11 Non-functional; not functioning properly.; Badly designed or implemented. informal
"This is the most broken application I've seen in a long time."
- 12 Non-functional; not functioning properly.; Grammatically non-standard, especially as a result of being produced by a non-native speaker.
"His conversation was in French with Mailey and Roxton, who both spoke the language well, but he had to fall back upon broken English with Malone, who could only utter still more broken French in reply."
- 13 Non-functional; not functioning properly.; Not having gone in the way intended; saddening. US, colloquial
"Oh man! That is just broken!"
- 14 Completely defeated and dispirited; shattered; destroyed.
"The bankruptcy and divorce, together with the death of his son, left him completely broken."
- 15 Having no money; bankrupt, broke.
- 16 Uneven.
"All that day they rode into broken land. The prairie with its grass and rolling hills was behind them, and they entered a sparse, dry, rocky country, full of draws and short cañons and ominous buttresses."
- 17 Overpowered; overly powerful; giving a player too much power.
"This item is incredibly broken. I win almost every run I get to use it."
Adjective
- 1 physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split wordnet
- 2 (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded wordnet
- 3 not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly wordnet
- 4 lacking a part or parts wordnet
- 5 discontinuous wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 out of working order (‘busted’ is an informal substitute for ‘broken’) wordnet
- 7 destroyed financially wordnet
- 8 weakened and infirm wordnet
- 9 thrown into a state of disarray or confusion wordnet
- 10 imperfectly spoken or written wordnet
- 11 subdued or brought low in condition or status wordnet
- 12 topographically very uneven wordnet
- 13 tamed or trained to obey wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Torres Strait Creole. derogatory, slang
Antonyms
Example
"Throw away the chairs whose legs are broken."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "broken"?
Common synonyms include: aggravated, aloof, ausgespielt, banjaxed, bankrupt, beaten.
How do you use "broken" in a sentence?
Throw away the chairs whose legs are broken.
How do you pronounce "broken"?
Pronounced /ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/.
Etymology
From Middle English broken, from Old English brocen, ġebrocen, from Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”). Cognate with Dutch gebroken (“broken”), German Low German broken (“broken”), German gebrochen (“broken”). Morphologically broke + -n.