English dictionary

broken Meaning & Definition

Q: What are the comparative and superlative forms of broken?

The comparative form is more broken and the superlative form is most broken.

/ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/

What Does Broken Mean?

Broken is a verb that means past participle of break. As an adjective, it means Fragmented; in separate pieces.

Broken in Brief

Part of speech	verb, adjective
Pronunciation	//ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩//
Syllables	1
Synonyms	rough, rugged and confused
Antonyms	unbroken and kept
Comparative / superlative	more broken, most broken

Broken Definition (Verb)

past participle of break

Broken as an Adjective

Fragmented; in separate pieces.
One recent morning the team had to replace a broken weather research station.
Fractured; having the bone in pieces.
My arm is broken!
Split or ruptured.
A dog bit my leg and now the skin is broken.
Dashed; made up of short lines with small gaps between each one and the next.
Interrupted; not continuous.
Five-eighths to seven-eighths obscured by clouds; incompletely covered by clouds.
Tomorrow: broken skies.
Having periods of silence scattered throughout; not regularly continuous.
Breached; violated; not kept.
broken promises of neutrality
Non-functional; not functioning properly.
I think my doorbell is broken.
Disconnected, no longer open or carrying traffic.
Badly designed or implemented.
This is the most broken application I've seen in a long time.
Grammatically non-standard, especially as a result of being produced by a non-native speaker.
Not having gone in the way intended; saddening.
Oh man! That is just broken!
Completely defeated and dispirited; shattered; destroyed.
The bankruptcy and divorce, together with the death of his son, left him completely broken.
Having no money; bankrupt, broke.
(The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
Uneven.
Overpowered; overly powerful; giving a player too much power.
This item is incredibly broken. I win almost every run I get to use it.

Antonyms of Broken

unbroken kept

Broken in a Sentence

One recent morning the team had to replace a broken weather research station.

My arm is broken!

The ground was littered with broken bones.

A dog bit my leg and now the skin is broken.

Tomorrow: broken skies.

broken promises of neutrality

broken vows

the broken covenant

I think my doorbell is broken.

This is the most broken application I've seen in a long time.

Oh man! That is just broken!

The bankruptcy and divorce, together with the death of his son, left him completely broken.

(The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

This item is incredibly broken. I win almost every run I get to use it.

Word Forms & Grammar

broken

broken (comparative more broken, superlative most broken)

Origin of Broken

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.

Broken Pronunciation

You say broken as //ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩//. It has 1 syllable.

Common Questions About Broken

Is broken a verb or an adjective?

Broken is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as an adjective.

What is another word for broken?

Close synonyms of broken are rough, rugged and confused. See the full list of broken synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of broken?

Antonyms of broken include unbroken and kept.

What are the comparative and superlative forms of broken?

The comparative form is more broken and the superlative form is most broken.