broken

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled brocken

US /ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/ UK /ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #957

Meanings

1

adj
No longer working properly

My phone is broken, so I can't call you.
2

adj
Separated into pieces, cracked, or split by force

Be careful of the broken glass on the floor.
3

adj
Not kept or honoured, especially a promise or agreement

Their friendship was full of broken promises.
4

adj
Not continuous; interrupted in time or sequence

She drew a broken line across the page.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · no longer working properly busted

3 adj · not kept or honoured,... unkept

More banjaxedbumfracturedruptured

Opposites

intact

Word family

Forms brokenly

Derived forms breach break brokebroken-backedbroken-handedbroken-heartedbroken-mouthedbroken-windedbrokenhandedbrokenheartedbrokenlybrokenness

Related forms damaged drunk leaking piece

Appears in

Phrases (4)

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broken glass
Pieces of glass that have been shattered

Adjective + noun
broken leg
a leg with a fractured or broken bone

Adjective + noun
broken neck
a neck with a fractured cervical vertebra

Adjective + noun
broken window
A window whose glass has been cracked or shattered

Adjective + noun

Idioms (1)

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all hell broke loose
Matching variant: All hell has broken loose

a situation suddenly became extremely noisy, chaotic, or violent

Proverbs (7)

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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.

broken Middle English brocen Old English *brukanaz Proto-Germanic *brekaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# broken

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/
**Frequency rank:** 957

## Meanings
1. No longer working properly
2. Separated into pieces, cracked, or split by force
3. Not kept or honoured, especially a promise or agreement
4. Not continuous; interrupted in time or sequence

## Examples
- My phone is broken, so I can't call you.
- Be careful of the broken glass on the floor.
- Their friendship was full of broken promises.
- She drew a broken line across the page.

## Synonyms
- banjaxed
- bum
- busted
- fractured
- ruptured

## Antonyms
- intact

## Derived Forms
- breach
- break
- broke
- broken-backed
- broken-handed
- broken-hearted
- broken-mouthed
- broken-winded
- brokenhanded
- brokenhearted
- brokenly
- brokenness

## Related Forms
- damaged
- drunk
- leaking
- piece

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: broken
- Root: brocen
- Root: *brukanaz
- Root: *brekaną

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Broken comes 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.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown

broken

Meanings

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (4)

Idioms (1)

Proverbs (7)

Etymology

Topics

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