broken

BROH-kin/ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/UKBROH-kuhn/ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/

15 meanings of broken

1
in piecesadjective
Separated into pieces, cracked, or split open, so that it is no longer whole or no longer holds together.
Like a dropped mirror that scatters into countless fragments.
Shards of the broken vase were scattered across the kitchen tiles.
After the crash, the windshield was completely broken.
Similarshattered, smashed, cracked, fractured, split
Oppositewhole, intact
2
not workingadjective
No longer working or operating as it should, for example because of damage or because a connection has been cut.
The elevator has been broken for a week.
Technicians replaced the broken sensor on the assembly line.
Similarfaulty, defective, inoperative
Oppositeworking, functional, operational
3
has smashedverb
Past participle of break.
She has broken the national record in the 400 meters twice this year.
By morning the fever had broken and she felt much better.
UsageWith have or be: has broken, was broken (not ~~incorrect: has broke~~).
4
cracked boneadjective
Fractured, with the bone cracked or split into pieces.
The X-ray confirmed a broken collarbone.
His wrist was badly broken in the fall.
Similarfractured, cracked
5
crushed in spiritadjective
Completely defeated and dispirited; emotionally crushed and stripped of spirit.
He returned from the war a broken man, haunted and silent.
Years of grief left her utterly broken.
UsageOften a broken man or completely broken.
Similarcrushed, shattered, devastated, defeated, dispirited
Note
The sense that turns readily into a noun for people: the broken. My Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade" (2006) uses it in a list beside the defeated and the condemned. Dia Frampton's "The Broken Ones" (2011) sets it beside the image of a heart smashed to pieces.
6
not keptadjective
Not honored or kept; violated, as with a promise, agreement, or law.
Years of broken promises finally ended their friendship.
The ceasefire was broken when shells fell again at dawn.
Similarviolated, unkept, unfulfilled
Oppositehonored
7
badly put togetheradjectivecolloquial
Poorly designed or put together, so it works badly or not at all.
Reviewers slammed the game's broken matchmaking system.
Critics called the proposal a broken approach to funding schools.
Similarflawed, dysfunctional, defective
8
interruptedadjective
Interrupted at intervals rather than steady and continuous, as of sleep, speech, or a sound.
Their broken sleep left both new parents exhausted.
The radio transmission was broken by repeated bursts of static.
Similardisturbed, fitful, intermittent, disrupted
Oppositecontinuous, uninterrupted, steady
9
full of mistakesadjective
Grammatically non-standard, especially as produced by someone who is not a native speaker.
The tourist apologized for his broken Italian as he ordered lunch.
After only a month in the country, his Polish was still quite broken.
UsageUsually before a language name: broken English. It judges the speaker, so it can sound unkind.
Similarhalting, imperfect, faltering
Oppositefluent
Note
Because it is gradable, Conan Doyle can have a character reply in "still more broken French." Marianne Faithfull made "Broken English" a song title in 1979.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Conan Doyle describes a character replying in "still more broken French"; the character is Malone, and the phrase occurs in the narration of The Land of Mist. gutenberg.net.au
Marianne Faithfull released a song titled "Broken English" in 1979. mariannefaithfull.com

Less common meanings

10
uneven groundadjective
Uneven or rough in surface or level, rising and dipping irregularly.
The trail wound across broken terrain littered with loose stones.
Surveyors found the broken country hard to map accurately.
Similarrough, uneven, rugged, irregular
Oppositesmooth, even, flat
Note
Land is broken when its surface keeps interrupting itself with draws, short canyons and rock, rather than rolling smoothly. Will Cook's Until Darkness Disappears (2001) draws exactly that contrast, leaving the grassy prairie behind for broken land. The word attaches to land, country, ground and terrain. It describes the lie of the land, not damage done to it.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
Will Cook wrote Until Darkness Disappears, first published in 2001. openlibrary.org
The book contrasts grassy, rolling prairie with broken land containing rocky country, draws and short canyons. en.wiktionary.org
11
too powerfuladjective
In games, so powerful that it unbalances play and hands a player an unfair advantage.
Tournament organizers banned the broken combo before the finals began.
The latest patch finally nerfed a broken item that had dominated every match.
Similaroverpowered
Oppositebalanced
Note
A player's complaint that sounds almost like praise. The broken item works too well, so that "I win almost every run." That makes it nearly the opposite of the "badly made" sense, where something works too poorly. Its synonym is overpowered. In competitive play a broken tactic invites bans, while in video games it invites a patch that nerfs it.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
Overly powerful strategies can prompt bans in competitive play. magic.wizards.com
Overly powerful game elements can prompt patches that reduce their power. leagueoflegends.com
12
dashed lineadjective
Made up of short dashes with small gaps between each segment and the next.
The architect drew the proposed extension with a broken line on the blueprint.
On the chart, projected figures appear as a broken line rather than a continuous curve.
Similardashed, dotted
Oppositesolid, continuous
13
mostly cloudyadjective
Of the sky, obscured by clouds over five-eighths to seven-eighths of its extent, mostly overcast but not entirely.
The afternoon forecast called for broken cloud along the coast.
Pilots reported a broken ceiling at about three thousand feet.
Note
A forecaster's word with a number behind it. Sky cover is counted in eighths, or oktas, and broken means five to seven of them are clouded over. It sits between scattered and overcast, so a broken sky still shows gaps. Pilots speak of a broken ceiling at a given height. Forecasts compress it to broken skies or broken cloud.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
Cloud cover is measured in eighths called oktas. weather.metoffice.gov.uk
Broken means cloud cover of five to seven eighths. weather.gov
Broken falls between scattered and overcast and leaves gaps in the cloud cover. en.wikipedia.org
A broken cloud layer can define an aviation ceiling at a reported height. faa.gov
14
adjectivecolloquialUS
Describing a situation that did not turn out as intended and leaves people feeling let down.
15
adjectivedated
Having no money; financially ruined or bankrupt.

broken is a form of break

break, verb: To separate or crack something into two or more pieces, or to come apart this way, as a plate, an egg, or a bone does. Full entry

Forms: breakbreaks he/she/itbreaking -ing formbroke past tensebroken past participle
Spelling: break → broken: irregular (no -ed)

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English broken, from Old English brocen (also ġebrocen), from Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, the past participle of *brekaną ("to break"). It is related to Dutch gebroken and German gebrochen, and is formed from broke + -n.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Broken descends from Middle English broken and Old English brocen, also ġebrocen. en.wiktionary.org
The reconstructed ancestor is Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, the past participle of *brekaną, meaning 'to break'. en.wiktionary.org
Broken is cognate with Dutch gebroken and German gebrochen. en.wiktionary.org
Broken can be analyzed morphologically as broke + -n. en.wiktionary.org