Broken vs. Torn — What's the Difference?

Past participle of break.

Past participle of tear1.

Forcibly separated into two or more pieces; fractured

Past participle of tear(rip, rend, speed).

Sundered by divorce, separation, or desertion of a parent or parents

Having edges that are jagged from injury

Having been violated

Disrupted by the pull of contrary forces;

Incomplete

Being in a state of disarray; disordered

Intermittently stopping and starting; discontinuous

Varying abruptly, as in pitch

Spoken with gaps and errors

Topographically rough; uneven

Subdued totally; humbled

Weakened and infirm

Crushed by grief

Financially ruined; bankrupt.

Not functioning; out of order

Inflection of break

; in separate pieces.

; having the bone in pieces.

(of skin) split or ruptured.

; made up of short lines with small gaps between each one and the next.

(of sleep) interrupted; not continuous.

Five-eighths to seven-eighths obscured by clouds; incompletely covered by clouds.

Having periods of silence scattered throughout; not regularly continuous.

Breached; violated; not kept.

; not functioning properly.

Disconnected, no longer open or carrying traffic.

Badly designed or implemented.

(of language) Grammatically non-standard, especially as a result of being produced by a non-native speaker.

Not having gone in the way intended; saddening.

Completely defeated and dispirited; shattered; destroyed.

Having no money; bankrupt, broke.

(of land) Uneven.

Overpowered; overly powerful; too powerful.

Separated into parts or pieces by violence; divided into fragments; as, a broken chain or rope; a broken dish.

Disconnected; not continuous; also, rough; uneven; as, a broken surface.

Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart; as, a broken reed; broken friendship.

Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships.

Subdued; humbled; contrite.

Subjugated; trained for use, as a horse.

Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope; blighted.

Not carried into effect; not adhered to; violated; as, a broken promise, vow, or contract; a broken law.

Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made, or of paying debts incurred; as, a broken bank; a broken tradesman.

Imperfectly spoken, as by a foreigner; as, broken English; imperfectly spoken on account of emotion; as, to say a few broken words at parting.

Physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split; or legally or emotionally destroyed;

Not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly;

Subdued or brought low in condition or status;

(especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded;

Tamed or trained to obey;

Topographically very uneven;

Imperfectly spoken or written;

Thrown into a state of disarray or confusion;

Weakened and infirm;

Destroyed financially;

Out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken');

Discontinuous;

Lacking a part or parts;