as in broken
forcibly separated into many pieces
the glass mirror lay shattered on the floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in destroyed
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
tried to restore their shattered hopes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smashed
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
shattered the sealed clay pot to find out what was inside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demolished
to cause to break with violence and much noise
shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shattered
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Upon arrival, police found the front glass door open and shattered and there was glass everywhere.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Gurnee Donuts owners posted on Facebook showing shattered glass in the doorway and on the sidewalk.
—Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
Mullett says her injuries included a broken back, a broken left leg, a shattered pelvis and head trauma.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Only when more members and influential insiders demand better of one another as a matter of course, before things go sideways, will there be fewer political self-detonations and shattered lives.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Video shot in the town of Fallon showed shattered glass and food scattered on the floor in the aisles of a grocery store.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Tents rippled in the breeze, and children played on the sand against a backdrop of shattered buildings.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Angry, balkanized, hostile communities with shattered trust in American institutions — from courts to free elections — undermine the social capital needed for free enterprise to prosper.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Ben Davis, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Bullets shattered a glass refrigerator door behind Marquise, who fell to the ground right next to the store’s counter.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Our teacups shook, and mine—closest to the edge—fell to the floor and shattered.
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
But a paper taped to her front door on March 11 shattered that dream.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The driver's-side window was shattered and appeared to have been shot.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Apr. 2026
Flecher was found dead from a gunshot wound inside his home with the backdoor glass shattered after police did a welfare check on him following their conversation with Avalon.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Years after a violent shooting shattered their Presbyterian church community, an impending deportation forces two Korean-American families to confront the limits of their forgiveness.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The project offers an insightful look at Odom, a gifted athlete and former star on the Los Angeles Lakers whose championship career was shattered by multiple personal demons and addiction.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Charles also invoked America's help in rebuilding a shattered European continent after World War II.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Upon arrival, police found the front glass door open and shattered and there was glass everywhere.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Gurnee Donuts owners posted on Facebook showing shattered glass in the doorway and on the sidewalk.
—Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
Mullett says her injuries included a broken back, a broken left leg, a shattered pelvis and head trauma.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Only when more members and influential insiders demand better of one another as a matter of course, before things go sideways, will there be fewer political self-detonations and shattered lives.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Video shot in the town of Fallon showed shattered glass and food scattered on the floor in the aisles of a grocery store.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Tents rippled in the breeze, and children played on the sand against a backdrop of shattered buildings.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Angry, balkanized, hostile communities with shattered trust in American institutions — from courts to free elections — undermine the social capital needed for free enterprise to prosper.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
She was spurred in part by the election of Kurt Waldheim as president of Austria in 1986; revelations of his Nazi past shattered the myth that the country had been an innocent victim of Hitler.
—Ben Davis, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Bullets shattered a glass refrigerator door behind Marquise, who fell to the ground right next to the store’s counter.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
Our teacups shook, and mine—closest to the edge—fell to the floor and shattered.
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
But a paper taped to her front door on March 11 shattered that dream.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The driver's-side window was shattered and appeared to have been shot.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Apr. 2026
Flecher was found dead from a gunshot wound inside his home with the backdoor glass shattered after police did a welfare check on him following their conversation with Avalon.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Years after a violent shooting shattered their Presbyterian church community, an impending deportation forces two Korean-American families to confront the limits of their forgiveness.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The project offers an insightful look at Odom, a gifted athlete and former star on the Los Angeles Lakers whose championship career was shattered by multiple personal demons and addiction.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shattered
Adjective
-
Holland revealed Fiala might have been ready to return from his broken leg if the Kings had advanced to the second round.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hand and small heads.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The assault killed at least seventeen people, including a twelve-year-old boy, wounded dozens, and destroyed buildings.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The 24 staff members in Ruiz Verduzco’s office are tasked with assisting victims and their families, establishing programs in communities destroyed by violence and drumming up financial support.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One assistant said Rudin threw a phone at him, and another said Rudin smashed a computer monitor on his head, among other allegations.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Rinku then smashed four consecutive sixes off wrist spinner Digvesh Rathi.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In one of the most fractured gubernatorial races in California history, the hedge fund billionaire and 2020 presidential candidate has emerged as a real contender to replace Gavin Newsom next year.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Sullivan was hired in January and brought with him a promise to rebuild Miami's fractured franchise in a similar way the the Packers' model — to rely on the draft to find and develop their own talent to build their franchise around.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In other words, atrocious starts have ruined the Sox’s season before anyone had a chance to get excited.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Was so excited to make these and they were ruined by your poor recipe like many others!—
Christopher Kostow,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Manchester City await, a team Chelsea have not beaten for five years and who demolished them 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the league just two weeks ago.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
At the facility, officials found several bodies in hazardous conditions inside the building that was later condemned and demolished by federal environmental regulators as a toxic waste site.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Two cars were wrecked and two people suffered injuries in a crash on busy Irving Park Road in the neighborhood of the same name early Monday morning.—
Kris Habermehl,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Girls getting wrecked on prom night?—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Amid chaotic scenes of masked immigration agents roaming neighborhood streets as protesters blew warning whistles, the operation led to two shootings by agents, including the fatal shooting in Franklin Park of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez in September.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In one video, Brittany and her friends could be seen laughing as their hair blew furiously in the wind.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shattered. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
