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View synonyms for brittle

brittle

[ brit-l ]

adjective

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

    Synonyms: fragile

  2. easily damaged or destroyed; fragile; frail:

    a brittle marriage.

  3. lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof; self-centered:

    a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person.

  4. having a sharp, tense quality:

    a brittle tone of voice.

  5. 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.

brittle

/ ˈbrɪtəl /

adjective

  1. easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile
  2. curt or irritable

    a brittle reply

  3. hard or sharp in quality
“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

noun

  1. a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts

    peanut brittle

“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

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.
  2. Compare ductile
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Derived Forms

  • ˈbrittlely, adverb
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Other Words From

  • brittle·ness noun
  • un·brittle adjective
  • un·brittle·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of brittle1

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

Origin of brittle1

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

See frail 1.
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Example Sentences

The team also found that artifacts treated with the liquifying gels better maintained their cellular structure and were less brittle than those treated with the solid gels.

He said he would “revert water up into the hills where you have all the dead forests, where the forests are so brittle” in order to prevent wildfires.

He would be short, could have facial abnormalities, maybe brittle bones and there was a 50% chance that he would be stillborn.

From BBC

Authoritarian, narcissistic leaders like Trump are profoundly brittle.

From Salon

The former president said he would “revert water up into the hills where you have all the dead forests, where the forests are so brittle” in order to prevent wildfires.

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