fragmentary

[ frag-muhn-ter-ee ]

adjective

1. consisting of or reduced to fragments; broken; disconnected; incomplete:

   fragmentary evidence; fragmentary remains.

fragmentary

/ ˈfræɡməntərɪ; -trɪ /

adjective

1. made up of fragments; disconnected; incomplete Alsofragmental

Derived Forms

• ˈfragmentarily, adverb
• ˈfragmentariness, noun

Other Words From

• fragmen·tari·ly adverb
• fragmen·tari·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fragmentary¹

First recorded in 1605–15; fragment + -ary

Example Sentences

But Almodóvar found, on reading the pieces he has collected, that they amount to “a fragmentary autobiography, incomplete and a little cryptic.”

From Los Angeles Times

What is about to happen will very likely be even more damaging, as we move from fragmentary news reporting into the realm of speculation, name-calling, finger-pointing, conspiracy theory and half-baked political forecasting.

From Salon

Lyson said more than 100 individual T. rex fossils have been unearthed, but many are fragmentary.

From Seattle Times

North Korea is one of the world’s most secretive countries in the world, and foreign experts are keen on collecting any fragmentary information coming from the country.

From Seattle Times

With one notable exception, the sliced off body parts allude to the fragmentary quality of the ancient original, which has lost its head and arms from time’s vicissitudes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• scattered
• sketchy

More About Fragmentary

What does fragmentary mean?

The adjective fragmentary means consisting of or reduced to fragments—pieces that have been broken off of or detached from something else.

The fossilized remains of a dinosaur might be described as fragmentary if they exist in many different pieces, and perhaps some of the pieces are missing.

The word fragment is also used to refer to a part or portion of something that is incomplete or isolated from the whole, such as a fragment of a movie or piece of music. Sometimes, fragmentary is used to describe things as disjointed, disconnected, or incomplete. This sense of the word is most commonly used to describe intangible or abstract things, as in fragmentary evidence or a fragmentary proposal.  

The adjective fragmental can be used to mean the same thing as fragmentary.

The adjective fragmented describes things that have been broken into fragments or things that are or have been disorganized or disunified in some way, such as an empire that was once unified but is now fragmented.

Example: Scholars have been able to piece together the text from the fragmentary remains of the ancient parchment.

Where does fragmentary come from?

The first records of the word fragmentary come from the early 1600s. It ultimately comes from the Latin fragmentum, meaning “a broken piece,” from the verb frangere, meaning “to break.” The word fragile also comes from frangere. The suffix -ary is used for form adjectives.

The more literal senses of fragmentary and fragmented are similar, but fragmented is perhaps more likely to be used to describe the things that have broken off of something else, as in a fragmented bit of a broken bone or the fragmented pieces of a broken vase. Fragmentary, on the other hand, is more likely to be applied to the thing that was once whole, as opposed to the parts of it, as in fragmentary remains. Still, the words are sometimes used in overlapping ways, with fragmental being used as a less common synonym of fragmentary and fragmentized being used as a less common synonym of fragmented.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to fragmentary?

• fragment (noun, verb)

What are some synonyms for fragmentary?

• fragmental

What are some words that share a root or word element with fragmentary? 

• fragmented
• fragmentation
• fragmentate
• fragmentize
• fragmentized
• defragment
• fragile

What are some words that often get used in discussing fragmentary?

• evidence
• remains
• fossil
• part
• piece
• bit
• scrap
• shred

How is fragmentary used in real life?

Fragmentary can be used to describe physical objects that have been reduced to fragments or intangible things that are disjointed in some way.

Terricota figures dated from 4th to 6th century found during excavation from Surya Pahar, Golapara, Assam.

Pic 1 & 2 – different type of Kirtimukha

pic 3 – fragmentary head of lord vishnu.@Hidden_Temples @chronicle_watch @Lost_History1 pic.twitter.com/ONJHS7IxEO

— Save Temples (@SaveTemplesBH) October 27, 2020

Although this Gaelic contract of lease in @nlsarchives Adv. MS 72.1.31 is very fragmentary, Ronald Black has proposed that it was written for MacDougall of Dunollie, Oban, pictured below.
Photo credit: Fiona @ScotStoryCentre.#Gàidhlig #Gaelic #FaclairMSS pic.twitter.com/vBL4Y4X9BC

— Faclair na Gàidhlig (@faclairgaidhlig) October 28, 2020

“The oral histories, testimonies, and memoirs introduced here, while offering a subjective and fragmentary account, thereby acquire political importance, as they place youths’ experiences in the larger context of the history and memory of Nazi occupation.” https://t.co/pRym0fTNJe

— McKay Smith (@McKayMSmith) October 29, 2020

 

Try using fragmentary!

Which of the following words is a synonym of fragmentary?

A. fragment
B. fragmental
C. fragmentize
D. all of the above