1
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
tried to restore their shattered hopes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smashing
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
shattered the sealed clay pot to find out what was inside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demolishing
to cause to break with violence and much noise
shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shattering
The group also recently stepped out together at a University of Cincinnati football game, which just so happened to be Swift and Kelce’s first public outing since announcing their plans to get married with an internet-shattering post on Instagram in August.
—
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2025
Pamela Warner, mother and manager of the late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, reflected on the life-shattering moment her son had untimely passed away.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
He was most recently be seen in Netflix’s record shattering Happy Gilmore 2 playing Adam Sandler’s son, also starring alongside Bad Bunny, Benny Safdie, Julie Bowen, and Margaret Qualley.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Elsewhere, there aren’t really any earth-shattering results.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
Despite the ongoing discourse of economic slowdown, tariff threats and interest rate concerns, the richest Americans are shattering wealth records.
—Forbes Press Releases, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The result is nonetheless shattering, for the characters and the audience.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
The country’s defensive shields against disease are shattering, in ways that could take decades, even generations, to mend.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Rajab’s shattering half of her dialogue with the Red Crescent workers is presented in the film nearly in full, but integrated into a heated dramatization of the call-center conflict surrounding her case.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2025
Pamela Warner, mother and manager of the late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, reflected on the life-shattering moment her son had untimely passed away.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
He was most recently be seen in Netflix’s record shattering Happy Gilmore 2 playing Adam Sandler’s son, also starring alongside Bad Bunny, Benny Safdie, Julie Bowen, and Margaret Qualley.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Elsewhere, there aren’t really any earth-shattering results.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
Despite the ongoing discourse of economic slowdown, tariff threats and interest rate concerns, the richest Americans are shattering wealth records.
—Forbes Press Releases, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The result is nonetheless shattering, for the characters and the audience.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
The country’s defensive shields against disease are shattering, in ways that could take decades, even generations, to mend.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Rajab’s shattering half of her dialogue with the Red Crescent workers is presented in the film nearly in full, but integrated into a heated dramatization of the call-center conflict surrounding her case.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shattering
Verb
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The military has also been targeting and destroying high-rise buildings surrounding displacement camps, crowding Gaza City’s residents into ever-smaller spaces.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From the Luddites smashing looms in 19th-century England to autoworkers walking out over the introduction of robots to the factory floor in the 1980s, resistance has flared before either being crushed or subsiding, giving way to the new economies and social orders the technologies ushered in.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The 40th anniversary of John Farnham’s record-smashing 1986 album Whispering Jack will be celebrated with a new musical.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Car designers love them for not ruining the lines of the door with the necessities of real life, but is the benefit from drag reduction worth the safety risk?—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
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And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More than just devastating the lives of these commuters — most of whom earn under $49,000 per year and work blue-collar jobs — each of these cars on the freeway is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.—
Stan Oklobdzija,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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After a series of devastating airstrikes, the Israeli military is sending its ground forces into Gaza City, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee and escalating a humanitarian crisis in the region.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As health restrictions discouraged people from blowing directly into instruments, Gajewski and Brown reimagined the design.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Soldiers have also been spotted in parks carrying out tasks typically assigned to gardeners and landscapers – shoveling mulch, blowing leaves and scooping up trash.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Adam Berry/Getty Images What To Know Phoenix police said in a release to media that a 19-year-old was detained after wrecking a memorial for Kirk at the office of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group that Kirk co-founded.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Despite the mixed reception, the money counter was an earnest attempt to keep the show running on schedule, preventing one or two self-indulgent speakers from wrecking the running time.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The unknown object collides with another moving object arriving from the opposite direction, exploding in a bright flash of light.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Elsewhere online, wellness culture was exploding.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shattering. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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