Meaning & use
fragmentation
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Meanings
noununcountable
The breaking of something into many small pieces, or the state of being in such pieces.
Grammar: Normally used without an or the in general statements: fragmentation of the rock.
Patterns
- the fragmentation of something
Repeated freezing and thawing causes fragmentation of the rock.
The shell's fragmentation scattered pieces across the field.
Scientists measured the fragmentation of the glass after impact.
noununcountablefigurative
The splitting of a group, system, or area into separate parts that no longer work together well.
Grammar: Often followed by of or in: fragmentation of the market.
Patterns
- the fragmentation of something
- fragmentation within something
The fragmentation of the political party made it hard to pass any law.
Critics blame social media for the fragmentation of news audiences.
Fragmentation in the health system means patients repeat their stories to each doctor.
noununcountablebiology
The state of a habitat that has been divided by roads, farms, or buildings into small, isolated patches.
Grammar: Used in ecology: habitat fragmentation.
Patterns
- habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation leaves small animal populations unable to move between forests.
New highways increase fragmentation of wildlife areas.
Conservationists build wildlife bridges to reduce fragmentation.
Common combinations
- habitat fragmentation
- Habitat fragmentation threatens many bird species.
- political fragmentation
- Political fragmentation made coalition talks long and difficult.
- market fragmentation
- Market fragmentation means companies must sell in dozens of formats.
- increasing fragmentation
- Increasing fragmentation of the media makes shared experiences rare.
- social fragmentation
- Social fragmentation can leave neighbors strangers to one another.
Synonyms and how they differ
- division
- Division is a broader word for any separation, whereas fragmentation implies many small, scattered pieces.
- disintegration
- Disintegration stresses complete falling apart and loss of the whole, while fragmentation can leave pieces still functioning separately.
- splintering
- Splintering is more vivid and usually describes a group breaking into factions.
- breakup
- Breakup is a plainer, more everyday word and often means a single split, not many pieces.
Opposites
Word family
- fragment noun
- a small broken-off piece
- fragment verb
- to break or split into pieces
- fragmented adjective
- broken into disconnected parts
- fragmentary adjective
- made up of small, incomplete pieces
Commonly confused: fragmentation or fraction?
fragmentation vs fraction
A fraction is a part of a whole number or amount; fragmentation is the process of breaking something into pieces.
Practice
The ___ of the television audience across hundreds of streaming services has made shared viewing rare.
Choose one answer.
Fragmentation fits because the audience is split into many small groups. Integration is the opposite, and expansion and repetition do not describe splitting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fragmentation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.