splinters

Sharp broken pieces

Splinters is the plural of splinter—thin, sharp fragments broken off from wood, glass, bone, or other hard materials.

A splinter lodged under the skin causes disproportionate pain for its size: She spent ten minutes extracting splinters from her palm.

Something that splinters breaks into such fragments: The door splintered under the force of the blow.

Groups splinter when they fracture into factions.

wood

slivers

Thin, sharp fragments

shardsBroken fragments of brittle material
fragmentsIncomplete broken pieces
chipsThin fried slices

shivers · sawdust · timber · lumber · plywood · bamboo · toothpick · pallet · floorboard · fence

injury

sliver

Thin split-off piece

punctureHole from penetration
embeddedSet firmly within something
tweezersPincerlike gripping instrument

extraction · wound · festering · infected · swollen · painful · pinch · dig · probe · antiseptic

fragmentation

shatter

Fragment violently, suddenly

fractureSplit in hard material
breakInterrupt continuity
scatterDistribute in random directions

disperse · explode · burst · disintegrate · crumble · split · crack · rupture · fragment · piece

groups

faction

Group within group

breakawaySudden separation from group
offshootDerivative outgrowth
sectBreakaway religious faction

schism · dissident · renegade · rebel · separatist · division · split · fragment · cell · fringe

Categories

sharp pointsneedles, point, pins, tip, spikes
craft flawscracks, tears, holes, stains, gaps
wood scrapssawdust, wood chips, shavings, wood shavings, offcuts
shop wasteswarf, filings, chips, turnings, grindings
destructiondestruction, destroying, demolishing, devastation, ruination
fire startersmatch, matches, lighter, lighters, matchsticks

Opposites

wholeness/fragmentation

splinterswhole

Full and undivided

intact · unbroken · complete · block · monolith

surface texture

splinterssmooth

Without roughness or difficulty

polished · sanded · even · sleek · glossy

size/scale

splintersbulk

Main mass or size

timber · chunk · board · plank · mass

Phrases

splinter groupBreakaway subset of organization
splinter partyPolitical breakaway group
splinter removalExtracting embedded fragments
splinter partiesSmall political offshoots
Splinter CellSolo stealth agent

Family

splinter, splintered, splintering, splintery, splinted, unsplintered

Familiarity: Top 50,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G