fragmentary
/ˈfræɡməntri/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfræɡmənteri/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfrag-mən-ˌter-ē/ (ame, mw)
fragmentary — adjective
- fragmentarypositive
- more fragmentarycomparative
- most fragmentarysuperlative
1. made up of broken or scattered pieces, with much of the whole thing missing — so
made up of broken or scattered pieces, with much of the whole thing missing — so you cannot get a clear or full picture from what is left.
Archaeologists in Pompeii recovered only fragmentary records of the family's daily life.
fragmentary + records (typical noun: historical documents)
Eshe's memory of the car crash was fragmentary, just a few sounds and bright lights.
fragmentary + memory (typical noun: cognitive content)
Early reports from the flooded village were fragmentary and often contradicted each other.
The museum displays a fragmentary Roman statue with the head and one arm missing.
Daichi gave a fragmentary account of the meeting because he had arrived late.
- incomplete
neutral and general; 'fragmentary' adds the sense of being in scattered pieces
- patchy
more informal; often used of knowledge, coverage, or quality
- scrappy
informal British; suggests poorly put together as well as incomplete
- disjointed
stresses lack of logical connection rather than missing pieces
- complete
nothing missing
- comprehensive
covers everything thoroughly
- whole
intact, not broken into pieces
用法筆記
Typically modifies abstract nouns about information or memory (records, evidence, reports, memories, knowledge) and physical remains (statue, manuscript, bones). Suggests both incompleteness AND a degree of disorder — different from simply 'incomplete', which can be neutral.