fragmentation
/ˌfræɡmenˈteɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌfræɡmenˈteɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌfrag-mən-ˈtā-shən -ˌmen-/ (ame, mw)
fragmentation — noun
1. the way something whole — like a group, a market, or a physical object — splits
the way something whole — like a group, a market, or a physical object — splits into many smaller pieces that no longer work together as one.
The fragmentation of the music industry into hundreds of small labels changed how new artists got signed.
fragmentation of [industry/market] for splitting into smaller players
Niran's research focused on the fragmentation of plastic bottles into tiny pieces called microplastics.
fragmentation of [physical object] into smaller pieces
Political fragmentation in the country made it impossible to pass any new tax laws.
Mira warned that further fragmentation of the team would slow down every project they ran.
Years of war led to the fragmentation of the old empire into seven separate states.
- splintering
often political or organizational; suggests sharp, hostile breaks
- disintegration
stronger; implies the whole has fully fallen apart, not just split
- breakup
more everyday; covers relationships and organizations more than physical matter
- consolidation
the opposite movement — many small parts joining into one
- unification
used of groups or countries coming together
文法句型
fragmentation of [noun]
用法筆記
Subject of 'fragmentation of' is usually a market, industry, society, audience, or physical material. The noun is uncountable and rarely takes a plural.
常見錯誤
2. a way that some simple living things, such as worms or certain plants, reproduce
a way that some simple living things, such as worms or certain plants, reproduce by splitting their body into separate pieces, where each piece then grows into a new individual.
Many starfish reproduce by fragmentation, regrowing a whole new body from a single broken arm.
reproduce by fragmentation — the standard scientific phrasing
In biology class, Yuna learned that fragmentation lets some flatworms create copies of themselves without a mate.
Mosses commonly spread through fragmentation, when small broken pieces land on damp soil and grow.
Some species of sea sponges rely on fragmentation as their main way of producing new young.
- asexual reproduction
the broader category; fragmentation is one form of it
文法句型
reproduction by fragmentation
用法筆記
Only this sense takes the verb 'reproduce by' / 'spread through'. Distinguish from sense 1 by subject: a living organism, not a market or object.