balkanized

adjective

as in fractionated

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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 balkanized His work deepened and developed under the responsiveness of the academy and a larger and not-yet-balkanized reading public. — Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 25 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balkanized
  1. divided
  2. split
Adjective
  • Americans are deeply divided and intensely polarized, with pessimism at or near a multidecade high.
    — Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
  • In a world increasingly more divided than connected — where politics, algorithms and social media feuds sort us into tribes siloed by grievances — the World Cup still accomplishes something remarkably simple.
    — Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of divided
Adjective
  • Trump’s 2020 defeat and unusual split term solved that problem.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026
  • Like maybe a split step a little too hard and one knee goes in, that’s kind of the scary fall.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of split

Browse Nearby Words

balk
balkanized
balk (at)
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Cite this Entry

“Balkanized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balkanized. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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