Meaning & use
a broken person
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
Someone who has suffered so much pain or loss that they feel unable to live normally or trust others again.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase with a singular or plural verb: a broken person is... / broken people are...
Patterns
- feel like a broken person
- become a broken person
- help a broken person
After the war he came home a broken person, unable to sleep or laugh.
She said the divorce had left her feeling like a broken person.
The charity works with broken people who have lost everything.
phrasefixed phrasefigurativedisapproving
Someone whose spirit or confidence has been destroyed by repeated failure or cruel treatment.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like leave, make, or feel; it describes a state, not a permanent identity.
Patterns
- leave someone a broken person
- make someone a broken person
Years of bullying left him a broken person with no self-belief.
The system can make a broken person out of anyone who keeps failing.
Common combinations
- feel like a broken person
- After the accident she felt like a broken person for months.
- leave someone a broken person
- The betrayal left him a broken person.
- a broken person inside
- He smiled, but he was a broken person inside.
- help a broken person heal
- Therapy can help a broken person heal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- damaged
- Use 'damaged' for a person who is emotionally hurt but still functioning; 'a broken person' suggests a deeper, more complete collapse.
- wreck
- 'A wreck' is informal and often temporary (a nervous wreck); 'a broken person' sounds more lasting and serious.
Opposites
Word family
- broken adjective
- Damaged or no longer working; also used of a person's spirit.
- brokenness noun
- The state of being broken, often emotional or spiritual.
Commonly confused: a broken person or broken-hearted?
a broken person vs broken-hearted
Broken-hearted means sad because of a failed romance; 'a broken person' is a much broader and stronger description of someone damaged by life.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a broken person' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
The phrase describes deep emotional damage, so the illness example fits. The bike example describes a physical injury, the chair example is wrong because the phrase is for people, and speaking languages has nothing to do with being broken.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a broken person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.