fragmented

adjective

frag·​ment·​ed ˈfrag-ˌmen-təd 

1

: broken or separated into distinct parts

Another fragmented language group is the Austroasiatic family, whose most widely spoken languages are Vietnamese and Cambodian.

—Jared Diamond

The reality seems to be that the global audience for movies has become increasingly diverse and fragmented, which runs against Hollywood's obsession with finding that magic common denominator.

—Peter Bart

2

computing : having related or associated pieces of stored data disorganized in a way that makes them more difficult to access

Fragmented files require much more work to read than contiguous files, because to do so DOS must chase down each sector, possibly moving the disk head back and forth many times. Each of these … slows the task at hand and results in additional wear and tear on your hard disk.

—Brett Glass

You probably won't notice a marked performance boost unless your hard drive is extremely fragmented.

—Doug Stanley

Synonyms

• broken
• busted
• fractured
• shattered
• smashed

Examples of fragmented in a Sentence

restoring the fragmented Roman sculpture was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle

Recent Examples on the Web

This shift would give states unprecedented authority over curriculum choices, testing requirements, and educational standards – a change that could create a more fragmented but potentially more innovative education market. —Robert Daugherty, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

The landscape for young adult TV became much more fragmented over the years, as is also evidenced by the rise and fall of Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family), which appealed to that audience with hits like Pretty Little Liars, The Fosters, and Good Trouble. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024

Macron faces the pressing challenge of appointing a successor to lead a minority government in a fragmented Parliament without a clear majority. —Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

Macron to pick a new prime minister Macron must appoint a new prime minister, but the fragmented Parliament remains unchanged. —Tom Nouvian and Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1