Fragmentary/ˈfræɡmənteri/ Definition 1 of 3Pro Tip 1/3Partial Knowledge Use 'fragmentary' when someone knows only a bit about a subject, not everything. His fragmentary grasp of biology made the exam challenging. Pro Tip 2/3Missing Pieces 'Fragmentary' implies something is missing, which keeps it from being complete. She presented a fragmentary report that left us with questions. Pro Tip 3/3Not Negative The term 'fragmentary' doesn't always suggest a negative situation; it can be neutral. We used the fragmentary clues to solve the puzzle.