Yes, by definition: It’s not working, so it’s broken! 🙂
I think you’re really asking if it can be repaired.
If you can remove the keyboard, it’s quite possible that you can indeed correct what’s wrong.
You’ll have to poke around your laptop, carefully removing fasteners, to see how it’s put together. Some laptop keyboards are hard to remove, requiring specialized equipment. Others come apart easily with standard small hand tools (e.g. ordinary screwdrivers). You didn’t say what model/brand system you have; let’s hope it’s one of the easier-to-disassemble ones.
Once you have the keyboard separated from the laptop, you can take steps to effect repairs.
If the keys started sticking or becoming non-responsive over time, or happened some time after a spill (e.g. liquid on the keyboard), the cause is likely that dirt or debris is under the keys, preventing the keys from making proper contact. Usually, you can clean this out without a lot of trouble. See, for example, these related questions/answers:
- I spilled yogurt on my keyboard. Now some keys are stuck. How do I fix it?
- My new keyboard keeps on typing the same letter. How can I fix it?
- Pressing a key or clicking a mouse button sends what type of signal to the CPU?”
On the other hand, if the keys were damaged in a drop or other impact, then they could be mechanically broken. You probably won’t be able to repair mechanical damage, but you likely can replace the keyboard outright: Search online for an exact-match replacement; you may also be able to buy an inexpensive, working, used keyboard from places like eBay and CraigsList.
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Laptop keyboard broken? Cheap “new” replacements available for sale on eBay? Most of the cheap “new” keyboards I’ve purchase seem to actually be quality control rejects and come with their own problems including stuck keys and bent frames. Let’s be careful out there.
I was thinking more of “removed from service” keyboards, such as when a laptop is trashed for to a broken screen ; the owner might removed and sell the still-good keyboard. But you’re right: as always, caveat emptor!