Broken fits a cup, a phone, a night's sleep, a man and a promise, which is why it tells you so little about any of them. A cracked mug and a faulty printer need different words, and so do fitful sleep and a crushed spirit. Each replacement names one kind of damage: to a surface, a mechanism, a sequence, a person or an agreement.
Best synonyms for broken
Cracked or in pieces
- cracked
- shattered
- smashed
- fractured
- split
- snapped
Not working
- out of order
- faulty
- defective
- busted
- malfunctioning
Stopping and starting
- interrupted
- fitful
- intermittent
- halting
- disjointed
- patchy
Crushed in spirit
- crushed
- defeated
- demoralized
- beaten down
Promise or contract not honored
- violated
- breached
Which synonym should you use?
| If you mean… | Best alternatives |
|---|---|
| A mug or screen with a visible line | cracked |
| Glass in many tiny pieces | shattered, smashed |
| A public machine taken out of use | out of order |
| A part with a flaw in it | faulty, defective, malfunctioning |
| A signal that cuts in and out | intermittent, patchy |
| Sleep that keeps stopping | fitful, interrupted |
| Hesitant speech in a new language | halting |
| Someone whose spirit has gone | crushed, beaten down, demoralized |
Broken synonyms explained
1. Cracked
A line has opened in the surface but the object is still in one piece, which separates it from shattered and smashed. It suits glass, ceramic, screens, plaster and ribs.
Best used when: The object still holds together despite a visible line.
She kept drinking from the cracked mug for years.
2. Shattered
The object has come apart into many small pieces, usually all at once. It is stronger than cracked, and it also carries over to nerves, hopes and confidence.
Best used when: Glass or something brittle has burst into fragments.
The shattered windshield was covered in tiny cubes of glass.
3. Smashed
Puts the weight on the violent blow rather than on how the object looks now, which is where it differs from shattered. Informally, smashed also means drunk, so check that the context rules that out.
Best used when: Something was hit, thrown or dropped hard enough to wreck it.
He picked up the smashed phone and tried to turn it on.
4. Fractured
This is the clinical and technical word for bones, and for hard parts such as pipes or casings. A fractured arm is the same injury as a broken one, just in medical language, while cracked is the everyday word for a hairline fracture, especially of a rib or a tooth.
Best used when: A medical note or an engineering report needs the exact word.
The X-ray showed a fractured wrist.
5. Out of order
A phrase for shared or public equipment that has been taken out of use: elevators, vending machines, restrooms. It sits after the noun (the machine is out of order) and is hyphenated before one (an out-of-order elevator). It is narrower than faulty, which says nothing about being shut down.
Best used when: You are writing a sign or a notice for shared equipment.
The elevator has been out of order since Monday.
6. Faulty
Points to a specific flawed part, such as a wire, a switch or a sensor, whether the failure is constant or comes and goes. Unlike out of order, it does not say the thing has been taken out of use, and it is less formal than defective.
Best used when: You have traced a problem to wiring, a switch, a sensor or a brake.
The electrician traced the flickering to a faulty switch.
7. Defective
Stresses a flaw built in when the item was made, so it belongs with products, batches, recalls and warranties. It is more formal than faulty and suggests the maker is responsible.
Best used when: A product was flawed from the factory and you are making a claim.
The company recalled the defective helmets and refunded every buyer.
8. Busted
Casual speech for something that has stopped working, often with a flat, final tone. It is blunter than malfunctioning and out of place in a report or a business email.
Best used when: Talking to a friend about a gadget that is beyond saving.
My busted headphones are in the drawer somewhere.
9. Intermittent
Describes something that stops and starts at irregular intervals, such as a signal, a fault, a noise or rain. It is neutral and slightly technical, and unlike fitful it does not suggest restlessness.
Best used when: A connection or fault keeps cutting in and out.
Intermittent Wi-Fi made the video call impossible.
10. Fitful
Comes in short, restless bursts, so it suits sleep, wind, effort and progress. It carries a feeling of unrest that intermittent lacks, and it is rarely used for machines.
Best used when: Sleep or effort keeps starting and stopping.
She got a few hours of fitful sleep before the alarm.
11. Halting
Slow, hesitant speech full of pauses, often from someone using a new language. It describes how the words come out rather than judging the speaker, which makes it kinder than the phrase broken English, and it does not apply to sleep or signals.
Best used when: You want to describe hesitant speaking without sounding dismissive.
He answered in halting Spanish, and the clerk smiled.
12. Crushed
A sudden low after a blow such as a rejection, a loss or bad news, and the person may recover. It is more immediate than beaten down, which suggests a long wearing away, and softer than defeated, which means the person has given up.
Best used when: Someone has just taken a heavy emotional hit.
He looked crushed when the offer fell through.
13. Breached
Used for contracts, agreements, security and trust, and it sounds legal and exact. It is narrower than violated, which also covers laws, rules and rights.
Best used when: A formal agreement has been broken by one side.
The breached contract gave the client grounds to walk away.
14. Violated
Covers more ground than breached: laws, rules, terms, rights and promises. That makes it the safer choice when the thing broken is not a contract.
Best used when: Someone has ignored a rule, a term or a promise.
By spring, nearly every term of the cease-fire had been violated.
FAQ
Is damaged a synonym for broken?
Only when you do not care how the thing was harmed. A dented car or a scratched table is damaged but not broken, so damaged is the wider word and loses the detail that cracked or faulty would give.
Is there a better way to say broken English?
Halting English describes hesitant delivery, and limited English describes the speaker's level without judging it. Broken English is understood, but it can sound dismissive when applied to a real person.