Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a broken, interrupted manner; without regularity.
  • In broken or imperfect language.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a broken, interrupted manner; in a broken state; in broken language.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a broken manner.
  • adverb of speech With spaces between words, especially due to emotion.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • He made a swift motion toward her, saying her name brokenly in his choked voice, but he crumpled suddenly and slid from his chair to the floor and was still.

    Play the Game!

  • Ovide! "she called brokenly, staring blankly around the room.

    A Lover in Homespun And Other Stories

  • "Here, Polly," he called brokenly, "this is something beyond me.

    Five Little Peppers Abroad

  • For answer, through the din of the elements, a voice called brokenly, sobbingly:

    The Eternal Maiden

  • I shall not be worthy to be called your sister, but, "brokenly," you need not have feared.

    Madeline Payne, the Detective's Daughter

  • I'm struggling to believe that there are men and women out there who will recoil from an unvajazzled vagina, crying brokenly, "but where are the jewels?"

    How sexy are your underarms?

  • The offendor arose brokenly, shook off the detaining hand of his girl, and came over.

    CHAPTER III

  • After he left the house she flung herself on the bed and cried heart-brokenly.

    CHAPTER XIII

  • He spent the afternoon in a deck-chair, with closed eyes, dozing brokenly most of the time, and in the evening went early to bed.

    Chapter 46

  • The women screamed softly, crossed themselves, or prayed brokenly, hiding their eyes and peeping through their fingers.

    Chapter 4

Comments

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  • "Kenneth was like a brother to me", said Tom brokenly.

    October 30, 2007