brittle

[ brit-l ]
See synonyms for: brittlebrittleness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,brit·tler, brit·tlest.
  1. having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass.

  2. easily damaged or destroyed; fragile; frail: a brittle marriage.

  1. lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof; self-centered: a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person.

  2. having a sharp, tense quality: a brittle tone of voice.

  3. unstable or impermanent; evanescent.

noun
  1. a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled: peanut brittle.

verb (used without object),brit·tled, brit·tling.
  1. to be or become brittle; crumble.

Origin of brittle

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English britel, equivalent to brit- (akin to Old English brysten “fragment”) + -el adjective suffix

synonym study For brittle

1. See frail1.

Other words for brittle

Other words from brittle

  • brit·tle·ness, noun
  • un·brit·tle, adjective
  • un·brit·tle·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with brittle

Words Nearby brittle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use brittle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brittle

brittle

/ (ˈbrɪtəl) /


adjective
  1. easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile

  2. curt or irritable: a brittle reply

  1. hard or sharp in quality

noun
  1. a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts: peanut brittle

Origin of brittle

1
C14: from Old English brytel (unattested); related to brytsen fragment, brēotan to break

Derived forms of brittle

  • brittlely or brittly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for brittle

brittle

[ brĭtl ]


  1. Having a tendency to break when subject to high stress. Brittle materials have undergone very little strain when they reach their elastic limit, and tend to break at that limit. Compare ductile.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.