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Showing results for broken-down. Search instead for Broken-bone.
Definitions

broken-down

[broh-kuhn-doun] / ˈbroʊ kənˈdaʊn /
ADJECTIVE
dilapidated
Synonyms
STRONGEST
battered decrepit ramshackle run down
WEAK
bedraggled deteriorated falling apart in disrepair infirm neglected old seedy shabby threadbare unsound
Antonyms
STRONGEST
good healthy
WEAK
intact solid sound sturdy well-kept

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He pushed constitutional reforms aimed at preventing any future slide into authoritarian rule, and to overhaul a "completely broken-down" system of public administration.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

About a kilometre from this derelict mine is a residential area of a few houses, a broken-down church building and a hospital with some damaged windows, offering basic services.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

There was the Picasso of late-19th-century realism; the Picasso of angular, broken-down Cubist shapes; the Picasso of playfully deformed portraits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

"They shouted at us in Russian and crammed us into this broken-down house, with mattresses on the floor," Kanouitié Djakariayou, 44, told La Croix newspaper.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2025

Three hand-painted signs had been tacked to a broken-down gate.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling