Aaah!! My computer is broken!
Source: tatoeba (1910)
Broken
/ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/
Synonyms for "broken" (342 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (69)
Adjective(13 words)
Noun(5 words)
Strong matches (102)
desultorydetacheddeteriorateddevastateddeviativedisciplineddisconnecteddiscontinueddiscontinuousdiscourageddiscretedisintegrateddisjointeddisjunctivedisobeyeddispiriteddisregardeddisturbeddociledomesticated
Show 66 more words
done fordone indovelikedown-and-outduffeccentricembitteredenfeebledepisodicerraticexacerbatedfailedfallenfelledfinishedfitfulflattenedflickeringfluctuatingfracturedfragmentaryfragmentedgappedgentlegone to potgrainygranulatedgutteringhaltingharmedhaywireherky-jerkyheteroclitehomespunhorripilanthousebrokehousebrokenhumblehumbledhumiliatedhurtignoredimmethodicalimpairedimperfectin bitsin disrepairin piecesin receivershipin ruinsin shardsincoherentincompleteinconsistentinconstantinequalinfringedinjuredinoperativeinsolventintermittentintermittinginterruptedirregularirremediableirritated
Adjective(15 words)
disconnected componentsdiscontinuous functiondishonestdisordereddisrupted recorddysfunctional communityfailfaultygarbledhumbledhumiliatedimperfectimpoverishedinoperableinoperative
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (171)
jaggedjerkyjoltykaputlaceratedlamblikelickedlinsey-woolseylurchingmade to grovelmangledmasteredmeekmildmutilatednonadherentnonadhesivenoncoherentnoncohesivenoncontinuous
Show 129 more words
nonlinearnonsequentialnonserialnonuniformobedienton the blinkon the fritzon the rocksopenorderout of commissionout of conditionout of gearout of jointout of kelterout of kilterout of orderout of repairout of tuneout of whackoverthrownpacificparentheticparentheticalpatchypeaceablepiecepimplypittedpockypotholedprostratepulverizedput downquelledquietramblingrankravagedreducedrentripplyroughrough-castrough-grainedrough-hewnroughcastroughhewnruffledruinedruinousrupturedruttedruttyscaldedscorchedscrappyshaggedshaggyshatteredshiveredslashedslitsmashedsnatchyspasmaticspasmicspasmodicspasticsplinteredsplitspoiledsporadicspottysprungstaggeringstrickensubduedsubjugatedsuppressedsuspendedtametamedtenuoustexturedthe worse fortorntrainedtransgressedunadhesiveuncertainuncoherentuncohesiveunconnectedunconsolidatedundoneunequalunevenunjoinedunkemptunlevelunmethodicalunmetricalunpolishedunrefinedunregularunrhythmicalunsettledunsmoothunsteadyunsuccessiveunsystematicuntenaciousununiformvanquishedvariableveeringviolatedwanderingwastedwaveringweakenedwimpledwobblingwobblyworseworse offworsenedwrecked
Adjective(15 words)
lowmalfunctionnonworking systemruggedruinedruptureshattershatteredunfaithfulunkeptunreliableuntrustworthyunusableupsetwiped out
Verb(5 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Noun(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: aggravated, aloof, ausgespielt, banjaxed, bankrupt.
- Sentence evidence is available for broken, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, wiktionary, derived_reverse, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "broken".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "broken"
Keep "broken" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "broken" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "broken", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "broken" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
5 entriesMore specific
12 entriesCollocations
7 entriesbroken glassbroken heartbroken pencilbroken promisebroken recordbroken systembroken window
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
5 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
25 entriesShowing 16 of 25 words.
Translations
154 translations across 59 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- gebreek adj (not whole; fragmented)
Arabic
3 entries- مَكسور adj (not whole; fragmented)
- مَكسور adj (not whole; fragmented)
- مَكْسُور adj (not whole; fragmented)
Armenian
4 entries- անսարք adj (not working properly)
- կոտրված adj (not whole; fragmented)
- ջարդված adj (not whole; fragmented)
- փչացած adj (not working properly)
Aromanian
2 entries- aruptu adj (not whole; fragmented)
- frãmtu adj (not whole; fragmented)
Bulgarian
3 entries- повреден adj (not working properly)
- разбит adj (not working properly)
- счупен adj (not whole; fragmented)
Catalan
3 entries- avariat adj (not working properly)
- espatllat adj (not working properly)
- trencat adj (not whole; fragmented)
Cebuano
1 entries- guba adj (not whole; fragmented)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᎤᏲᏨᎢ adj (not whole; fragmented)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 壞 /坏 adj (not whole; fragmented)
- 打破的 adj (not whole; fragmented)
- 破碎 adj (not whole; fragmented)
Cornish
1 entries- brew adj (not whole; fragmented)
Czech
1 entries- rozbitý adj (not working properly)
Danish
3 entries- brækket adj (not whole; fragmented)
- defekt adj (not working properly)
- knust adj (not whole; fragmented)
Dutch
4 entries- defect adj (not working properly)
- gebroken adj (not whole; fragmented)
- geknakt adj (not whole; fragmented)
- kapot adj (not working properly)
Esperanto
3 entries- difektita adj (not working properly)
- disrompita adj (not whole; fragmented)
- rompita adj (not working properly)
Faroese
1 entries- brotin adj (not whole; fragmented)
Finnish
4 entries- epäkunnossa adj (not working properly)
- mäsä adj (not working properly)
- paskana adj (not working properly)
- prakannut adj (not working properly)
French
4 entries- brisé adj (not whole; fragmented)
- cassé adj (not whole; fragmented)
- cassé adj (not working properly)
- niqué adj (not working properly)
Friulian
1 entries- rot adj (not whole; fragmented)
Galician
2 entries- crebado adj (not whole; fragmented)
- quebrado adj (not whole; fragmented)
Georgian
2 entries- გატეხილი adj (not whole; fragmented)
- გაფუჭებული adj (not working properly)
German
4 entries- defekt adj (not working properly)
- kaputt adj (not working properly)
- zerbrochen adj (not whole; fragmented)
- zersplittert adj (not whole; fragmented)
Greek
2 entries- σπασμένος adj (not whole; fragmented)
- χαλασμένος adj (not working properly)
Hebrew
1 entries- שבור adj (not whole; fragmented)
Hungarian
4 entries- elromlott adj (not working properly)
- meghibásodott adj (not working properly)
- tönkrement adj (not working properly)
- törött adj (not whole; fragmented)
Indonesian
1 entries- rusak adj (not working properly)
Ingrian
2 entries- poikkinain adj (not whole; fragmented)
- rikkinäin adj (not whole; fragmented)
Irish
2 entries- briste adj (not whole; fragmented)
- briste adj (not working properly)
Italian
1 entries- rotto adj (not whole; fragmented)
Japanese
3 entries- 割れた adj (not whole; fragmented)
- 壊れた adj (not whole; fragmented)
- 故障した adj (not working properly)
Khmer
1 entries- បែក adj (not whole; fragmented)
Korean
2 entries- 깨진 adj (not whole; fragmented)
- 부서진 adj (not whole; fragmented)
Kyrgyz
4 entries- алсыз adj (not whole; fragmented)
- бузук adj (not whole; fragmented)
- бузулган adj (not whole; fragmented)
- жараланган adj (not whole; fragmented)
Latin
2 entries- frāctus adj (not whole; fragmented)
- ruptus adj (not whole; fragmented)
Limburgish
2 entries- kepót adj (not whole; fragmented)
- kepót adj (not working properly)
Macedonian
1 entries- скршен adj (not whole; fragmented)
Malay
2 entries- pecah adj (not whole; fragmented)
- rosak adj (not working properly)
Marathi
4 entries- खंडित adj (not whole; fragmented)
- तुटलेला adj (not whole; fragmented)
- तुटलेली adj (not whole; fragmented)
- तुटलेले adj (not whole; fragmented)
Māori
4 entries- mawera adj (not whole; fragmented)
- pakaru adj (not whole; fragmented)
- potapota adj (not whole; fragmented)
- whakatorouka adj (not whole; fragmented)
Old English
1 entries- brocen adj (not whole; fragmented)
Persian
1 entries- خراب adj (not working properly)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- kaputt (nds) adj (not working properly)
Polish
4 entries- potłuczony adj (not whole; fragmented)
- powyłamywany adj (not whole; fragmented)
- połamany adj (not whole; fragmented)
- stłuczony adj (not whole; fragmented)
Portuguese
2 entries- estragado adj (not working properly)
- quebrado adj (not whole; fragmented)
Romagnol
1 entries- rót adj (not whole; fragmented)
Romanian
3 entries- frânt adj (not whole; fragmented)
- rupt adj (not whole; fragmented)
- stricat adj (not working properly)
Russian
1 entries- сло́манный adj (not whole; fragmented)
Sanskrit
1 entries- भग्न adj (not whole; fragmented)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- briste adj (not whole; fragmented)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- razbijen adj (not whole; fragmented)
Sicilian
1 entries- ruttu adj (not whole; fragmented)
Slovene
1 entries- pokvarjen adj (not working properly)
Spanish
4 entries- averiado adj (not working properly)
- descompuesto adj (not working properly)
- estropeado adj (not working properly)
- quebrado adj (not whole; fragmented)
Sundanese
2 entries- pateuh adj (not working properly)
- rejét adj (not working properly)
Swedish
2 entries- bruten adj (not whole; fragmented)
- trasig adj (not working properly)
Tagalog
3 entries- bali-bali adj (not whole; fragmented)
- basag adj (not whole; fragmented)
- sira adj (not working properly)
Tok Pisin
2 entries- bruk adj (not whole; fragmented)
- bruk adj (not working properly)
Turkish
2 entries- bozuk adj (not working properly)
- kırık adj (not whole; fragmented)
Vietnamese
3 entries- bể adj (not whole; fragmented)
- hỏng adj (not working properly)
- vỡ adj (not whole; fragmented)
Yiddish
2 entries- צעבראָכן adj (not whole; fragmented)
- צעבראָכן adj (not working properly)
Sample sentences
31 total sentences available.
Throw away the chairs whose legs are broken.
Source: tatoeba (19896)
Don't step on the broken glass.
Source: tatoeba (21238)
The sea ice is highly variable - frozen solid during cold, calm weather and broken up in large areas of open water during storms.
Source: tatoeba (22233)
Showing 4 of 31 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "broken"?
Closest matches include aggravated, aloof, ausgespielt, banjaxed, bankrupt.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "broken"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.