brittle
[adjective]
Synonyms: fragile, breakable, crisp, crumbling, crumbly, delicate, frail, frangible, friable

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English Thesaurus: fragile, delicate, brittle, breakable, flimsy, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

brit‧tle /ˈbrɪtl/ adjective
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old English; Origin: gebryttan 'to break into pieces']

1. hard but easily broken:
The branches were dry and brittle.
Joanna was diagnosed as having brittle bones.

2. a situation, relationship, or feeling that is brittle is easily damaged or destroyed:
He spoke with the brittle confidence of someone who, underneath, was very worried.

3. showing no warm feelings:
a brittle laugh

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

fragile easily broken or damaged:
The documents are old and very fragile.
a fragile glass case
The seventeenth century wall hangings are extemely fragile.
delicate easily damaged – used especially about things that are made from thin material and look attractive:
a delicate gold necklace
The plant has delicate blue flowers.
delicate fabrics
brittle brittle hair, nails, bones etc have a hard surface, but they break easily, especially because they are not in good condition:
As you get older, your bones become more brittle.
a special shampoo for dry and brittle hair
breakable breakable objects must be handled carefully because they will break easily:
Put breakable objects out of the reach of children.
breakable ornaments
flimsy made of thin material that tears easily, or badly-made and likely to break easily:
a flimsy cotton shirt
a flimsy wooden table
frail especially literary not strong and therefore easy to break, damage, or hurt:
The young trees are frail and need to be protected from the wind.
a frail little fishing boat
a frail old lady

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲