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broken

broken

18 3.4
Very weak because of illness, pain, or hard times
  • adjective
  • /ˈbroʊkən/
translation icon : destrozado
  • After losing his job, he felt broken and lost, unsure of what to do next.
  • a broken heart
  • broken-hearted
  • feel broken

It's heartbreaking that we are feeling broken as human beings.

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Examples

  • Suddenly, my trust is broken, my love is challenged.

  • I, I was hurt and broken because it was the truth.

  • But my mom was so broken, so beat down.

  • But yes, I am so broken and I need so much Jesus.

    Blog text (28)
  • Meanwhile, I told him about my broken heart.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • At this point, I am broken and she is too.

    Blog text (19)
  • And I at the end of film school, I felt broken, embarrassed, lost.

  • And then I understood the attraction my sister felt for this broken and vulnerable man.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • She said our hearts are broken, but our spirits are not.

  • And I am broken.

Synonyms

low
vsbroken
336 1.0

Feeling sad or without energy

is a broader state of being weakened by hardship or misfortune
heartbroken
vsbroken
67 3.2

Feeling very sad because of a loss or disappointment

is a wider weakened condition not limited to intense grief
humbled
vsbroken
8 4.4

Feeling less proud because something shows your limits

is about being physically or emotionally weakened by hardship
brokenhearted
vsbroken
7 3.7

Feeling very sad because of a loss or disappointment

is broader, covering weakening beyond grief or personal loss
downhearted
vsbroken
1 4.1

Feeling sad and without much hope

is more about being weakened by external misfortune or hardship
heavy-hearted
vsbroken
1 5.4

Feeling very sad and weighed down inside

is typically a weakened state caused by hardship or misfortune
shattered
vsbroken
1 4.8

Feeling very upset because hopes or feelings are destroyed

is a less total weakening caused by misfortune
crushed
vsbroken
4.2

Feeling very sad and without hope

is a more general weakened state from hardship rather than extreme defeat

Antonyms

1.0

Having great physical power or being solid enough to resist force

66 5.4

Able to recover quickly after problems or hard times

Idioms

To keep saying the same complaint again and again until people get annoyed

Made into many small pieces so it cannot be fixed

Act carefully to avoid causing trouble in a tense, painful situation

Compounds

64 3.4

Deep sadness and pain you feel after losing or being rejected by someone you love

24 4.4

In very poor condition and not working because of age or neglect

15 3.0

A family where the parents do not live together and children often have problems

broken record
  • Offensive
14 4.9

A person who keeps saying the same thing until others get annoyed

8 5.2

An animal trained to let people ride or touch it

1 4.1

A loss of confidence in someone because they lie or break promises

A person who feels deeply hurt and cannot cope

broken arch
  • Specialized
8.1

An arch with a gap at the top often filled with decorations

8.4

A person who is very hurt inside and finds it hard to trust others

Broken Britain
  • Literature
7.5

A way to describe serious social and economic problems in the United Kingdom

broken vessel
  • Specialized
3.8

A tube that carries blood that has burst and caused bleeding

9.9

A long-lasting lung problem in a horse that makes breathing out hard

An animal or person with a badly damaged backbone that makes moving painful

broken-backed
  • Specialized
9.6

A ship or structure so badly damaged that it sags in the middle

broken-field
  • Jargon
7.4

Movement by a player using quick, sudden direction changes to avoid other players

How Broken

shattered
1 4.8
heartbroken
67 3.2
broken
18 3.4
upset
1.0

Surface Forms

broken positive

Morphology

broken = break (semi-transparent) = break + en

Formation is morphologically regular but the emotional sense is a metaphorical extension from physical damage, which may not be fully inferable to all learners.

Etymology

Broken comes from break, which can mean 'to damage or weaken'. So a broken person is someone made weak by hardship or illness.