A broken synonym works best when it names the type of damage: a plate is cracked or shattered, a printer is faulty or out of order, a person is heartbroken, and a promise is unkept or violated. Using the exact word tells the reader both the damage and the cause.
The lists below cover another word for broken in five senses, from glass to sleep, with notes on informal words, a mild to severe scale and the words that mean whole again.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
damaged, cracked, shattered, faulty, out of orderPart of speech
Adjective (past participle of break)Most formal
defective, malfunctioning, fracturedMost casual
busted, kaput, on the fritzStrongest
shattered, smashed, devastatedAntonyms
whole, intact, working, repairedWatch out
Broke, without the n, means having no money in casual speech. Broken does not.
Pick a broken synonym by what got broken
| What broke | Words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Glass, bones, wood | cracked, shattered, fractured, snapped | He has a fractured wrist. |
| Machines and systems | faulty, out of order, malfunctioning, down | The elevator is out of order. |
| A heart or spirit | heartbroken, crushed, devastated | She was crushed by the news. |
| A promise or rule | unkept, violated, breached | The deal was breached within a month. |
| Sleep, speech, a line | fitful, halting, interrupted | I had a fitful night. |
Bones are a special case. Doctors say fractured, and a fracture and a break are the same injury, so the swap is exact.
How bad is the damage
The chip strip grades physical damage. Chipped means a small piece is missing. Cracked means a line runs through it but it still holds. Fractured is what a doctor or engineer writes for a clean break. Smashed suggests force and many pieces, and shattered means it burst into fragments.
Insurance claims and repair notes benefit from this precision. A cracked screen and a shattered screen lead to very different quotes.
Machines, phones and websites
For things that stop working, faulty and defective suggest a problem from the factory, while damaged suggests harm after the fact. Out of order is the polite sign on a vending machine. Down fits websites and networks. Casual options include busted, kaput and on the fritz.
A support ticket says: "My laptop is broken." Support has to ask what happened. A better line: "My laptop is faulty. The screen goes black after ten minutes." The second version gets a faster fix.
When the broken thing is a person
A broken heart becomes heartbroken, crushed or devastated. A broken spirit, after long hardship, becomes defeated or dispirited. These are heavy words; choose them gently if the grief belongs to someone else. Gentler options like hurt, upset or sad may fit a smaller loss. Browse our emotion vocabulary for softer and stronger options.
Five swaps in context
- The vase is broken becomes the vase is in pieces.
- The ticket machine is broken becomes the ticket machine is out of order.
- Another broken promise from the council becomes another unkept promise from the council.
- She speaks broken English becomes she speaks halting English (kinder).
- After the loss, the team felt broken becomes after the loss, the team felt defeated.
Broken English can sound dismissive, so halting or basic English is the respectful choice when you describe a learner.
Broken look-alikes that get it wrong
Broke is slang for having no money. Ruined and destroyed mean beyond repair, which overstates a simple crack. Torn fits paper and fabric only. Damaged is a safe general word, but it leaves open whether the item still works. If you need one word for a general report, pick damaged and add a short note on what still functions.
Whole again: antonyms
The opposite of broken depends on the sense. Objects are whole, intact or undamaged; machines are working or functional; repaired things are mended or fixed; and a promise is kept.
- The parcel arrived intact.
- Is the coffee machine working again?
Frequently asked questions
Broken but still working: which word fits?
Cracked or chipped. Both say the item is damaged but usable, like a phone with a cracked screen that still turns on.
Broken in a formal complaint letter: what sounds right?
Defective, faulty or damaged on arrival. They describe the problem clearly and are standard in refund requests.
A broken heart can be described with which words?
Heartbroken, crushed and devastated are the main ones. Grief-stricken is stronger and suits a death or a very serious loss.
Broken and broke: what separates them?
Broken describes damage. Broke is informal and means having no money, as in I am broke until payday.
Broken has which opposites?
Whole, intact, working, repaired and mended. Choose by sense: intact for objects, working for machines, kept for promises.
Is shattered too strong for a cracked glass?
Yes. Shattered means the glass burst into many fragments. For a single line through it, cracked is accurate.