fragment
Part of something
A fragment is a piece broken off from something larger—a shard, remnant, or incomplete portion: fragments of pottery, a fragment of conversation overheard.
The word emphasizes incompleteness; you have part but not the whole.
To fragment is to break into pieces or scatter: The empire fragmented into rival states.
In grammar, a sentence fragment lacks a subject or verb.
Human-made historical object
- remnantWhat stays after most goes
- vestigeFaint surviving trace
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
antiquity · shard · potsherd · relic · archaeological · excavation · ancient · pottery
Thin sharp fragment
- chipSmall broken-off piece
- sliverThin split-off piece
- flakeThin detached fragment
- shrapnelScattered explosion fragments
spall · shiver · crumb · speck · particle · morsel · granule · fleck
Divided share given
- partPiece of whole
- sectionDistinct divided part
- segmentDistinct part of whole
- componentElement of a system
element · slice · chunk · bit · unit · division · constituent · subsection
Broken into fragments
- crackedHaving surface fractures
- splinteredBroken into sharp slivers
- fracturedSplit or splintered
- smashedBroken or intoxicated
crumbled · disintegrated · torn · ruptured · damaged · demolished · wrecked · destroyed
Portion taken from larger work
- snippetSmall cut portion
- passageSegment of text
- quoteRepeated words from another
- extractConcentrated derived substance
clip · citation · phrase · sentence · line · verse · stanza · paragraph
Scattered broken fragments
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- detritusLoose waste from decay
- screeLoose rock debris
remains · remnants · rubbish · shambles · dust · ashes · trash · junk
Favoring one side
- unfinishedNot yet complete
- incompleteLacking necessary parts
- truncatedCut off abruptly
- sketchyIncomplete or suspicious
rough · rudimentary · undeveloped · tentative · preliminary · inconclusive · draft · outline
artifact
Human-made historical object
ruin · antiquity · shard · potsherd · relic · archaeological · excavation · ancient · pottery · bone
splinter
Thin sharp fragment
shrapnel · spall · shiver · crumb · speck · particle · morsel · granule · fleck · scrap
portion
Divided share given
component · element · slice · chunk · bit · unit · division · constituent · subsection · module
shattered
Broken into fragments
- crackedHaving surface fractures
- splinteredBroken into sharp slivers
- fracturedSplit or splintered
smashed · crumbled · disintegrated · torn · ruptured · damaged · demolished · wrecked · destroyed · ruined
excerpt
Portion taken from larger work
extract · clip · citation · phrase · sentence · line · verse · stanza · paragraph · selection
debris
Scattered broken fragments
scree · remains · remnants · rubbish · shambles · dust · ashes · trash · junk · destruction
partial
Favoring one side
- unfinishedNot yet complete
- incompleteLacking necessary parts
- truncatedCut off abruptly
sketchy · rough · rudimentary · undeveloped · tentative · preliminary · inconclusive · draft · outline · unpolished
recollection
Recalled mental image
echo · impression · fleeting · hazy · faded · snapshot · moment · remembrance · wisp · shadow
- sentence fragmentGrammatically incomplete unit
- bone fragmentBroken piece of skeleton
- fragmentation grenadeExplosive that scatters shrapnel
- glass fragmentsBroken transparent material pieces
- soul fragmentsScattered pieces of essence
- Okazaki fragmentsShort DNA replication pieces
fragments, fragmented, fragmentation, fragmenting, unfragmented