FRAGMENT Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'fragment' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fragment are division , member , part , piece , portion , section , and segment . While all these words mean "something less than the whole," fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off. // only a fragment of the play still exists

Q: When would 'division' be a good substitute for 'fragment'?

The meanings of division and fragment largely overlap; however, division applies to a large or diversified part. // the manufacturing division of the company

Q: When is it sensible to use 'member' instead of 'fragment'?

While the synonyms member and fragment are close in meaning, member suggests one of the functional units composing a body. // a structural member

Q: Where would 'part' be a reasonable alternative to 'fragment'?

The words part and fragment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required. // they ran only part of the way

Q: When can 'piece' be used instead of 'fragment'?

In some situations, the words piece and fragment are roughly equivalent. However, piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole. // a puzzle with 500 pieces

Q: When could 'portion' be used to replace 'fragment'?

Although the words portion and fragment have much in common, portion implies an assigned or allotted part. // cut the pie into six portions

Q: When is 'section' a more appropriate choice than 'fragment'?

The synonyms section and fragment are sometimes interchangeable, but section applies to a relatively small or uniform part. // the entertainment section of the newspaper

Q: When might 'segment' be a better fit than 'fragment'?

While in some cases nearly identical to fragment , segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage. // the retired segment of the population

fragment 1 of 2

verb

ˈfrag-ˌment

Definition of fragment

as in to disrupt

to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly you can fragment that peanut brittle easily, but how it breaks is basically up to the brittle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fragment

2 of 2

noun

ˈfrag-mənt

as in piece

a broken or irregular part of something that often remains incomplete charred fragments of the exploded rocket were scattered over a huge area of ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fragment distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fragment are division, member, part, piece, portion, section, and segment. While all these words mean "something less than the whole," fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off.

only a fragment of the play still exists

When would division be a good substitute for fragment?

The meanings of division and fragment largely overlap; however, division applies to a large or diversified part.

the manufacturing division of the company

When is it sensible to use member instead of fragment?

While the synonyms member and fragment are close in meaning, member suggests one of the functional units composing a body.

a structural member

Where would part be a reasonable alternative to fragment?

The words part and fragment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required.

they ran only part of the way

When can piece be used instead of fragment?

In some situations, the words piece and fragment are roughly equivalent. However, piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole.

a puzzle with 500 pieces

When could portion be used to replace fragment?

Although the words portion and fragment have much in common, portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

cut the pie into six portions

When is section a more appropriate choice than fragment?

The synonyms section and fragment are sometimes interchangeable, but section applies to a relatively small or uniform part.

the entertainment section of the newspaper

When might segment be a better fit than fragment?

While in some cases nearly identical to fragment, segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage.

the retired segment of the population

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 fragment

Verb

One of the rounds entered Lunsford’s head above the left eye, blinding him in that eye and sending bone fragments out his left ear. — Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026 For example, when a credit card is fragmented into particles some 10 microns in diameter, there is a more than 200-fold increase in its surface area, says Wei Min, a chemist at Columbia University and one of the senior authors of the study. — Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026

Noun

The plane collided with power lines on the south side of the roadway, leaving fragments of the propeller and fiberglass under the power lines. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026 But the stand-alone fragment, in the seeming spirit of Franz Kafka’s surreal and unsettling fiction, links success to misery, and happiness to death. — Robert S. Levine, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fragment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fragment

Verb

Sectarian tensions and the disrupting force of the Cold War plunged the Middle Eastern nation into decades of armed conflict, with a chilling effect on daily life.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
The team radio can disrupt Antonelli’s concentration, so Wolff told me that the engineers have learned how to use it less often, or with fewer words.

— Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of disrupt

Noun

My prior piece, The Trillion-Dollar Trade Wall Street Isn’t Seeing, argued that every adoption curve is getting shorter than the last.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Last night, surrounded by family, Kardashian celebrated her 46th at Tuscan steakhouse Baldi at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills in two pieces of vintage couture, designed by Paco Rabanne himself.

— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of piece

Verb

The medical examiner found injuries to Paul Herlihy’s nose and jaw, fractures to his skull, and damage to his voice box.

— Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Their partnership fractured over Gilpin's refusal to keep delivering dehumanizing racial slurs written into the script, a dispute that ultimately led to Gilpin being replaced by a young Paul Robeson when the production went overseas.

— La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of fracture

Verb

Miami Hurricanes star wide receiver Malachi Toney once again broke records on Saturday.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
The Senate Democrats first elected in 1958 established a critical mass that would later drive the bipartisan super-majorities needed to break the filibuster and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

— Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of break

Noun

Topped with cream cheese frosting, toffee, and almond candy bits, this scrumptious pumpkin spice cake will be a winner at your next fall party.

— Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2026
Adding the 11-tap receiver equalizer increased the rate to 200 Gb/s, with the modulator consuming 63 fJ per bit.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of bit

Noun

The painting belonged to Bob Nijkerk, whose family had made its fortune in the iron and scrap-metal business in the 19th century.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Good Bull Outdoors shared a video this week on Instagram of a pair of massive elk locking antlers in a feisty scrap in Colorado.

— David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrap

Browse Nearby Words

fragility

fragment

fragmental

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Cite this Entry

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“Fragment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fragment. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fragment

verb

noun

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