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
Jared DiamondThe 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
Peter Bart2
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
Brett GlassYou probably won't notice a marked performance boost unless your hard drive is extremely fragmented.—Doug Stanley
Doug StanleyA computer's hard drive becomes more and more fragmented every time a file is saved, a file is deleted or a program is installed.—Shea Conner
Shea ConnerExamples of fragmented in a Sentence
restoring the fragmented Roman sculpture was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle
Recent Examples on the Web
While robots add mobility and extend visibility, many deployments struggle due to fragmented data and disconnected workflows.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
The mass audience is now fragmented, there is more polarization of content, and the line between news and entertainment has blurred.
—Kirstin Pellizzaro, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Closing these gaps often requires assembling small and fragmented parcels over time.
—Susan Carr, Sun Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
In an 11-page letter, the state found widespread gaps in emergency planning, including unclear staff roles, unclear or incomplete 911 coordination and parent notification procedures, incomplete disability accommodations, fragmented response plans, and missing required maps and documentation.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fragmented
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.
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
The mass audience is now fragmented, there is more polarization of content, and the line between news and entertainment has blurred.
—Kirstin Pellizzaro, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Closing these gaps often requires assembling small and fragmented parcels over time.
—Susan Carr, Sun Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
In an 11-page letter, the state found widespread gaps in emergency planning, including unclear staff roles, unclear or incomplete 911 coordination and parent notification procedures, incomplete disability accommodations, fragmented response plans, and missing required maps and documentation.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fragmented
Cite this Entry
“Fragmented.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fragmented. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
