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Synonyms

crumbly

American  
[kruhm-blee] / ˈkrʌm bli /

adjective

crumblier, comparative crumbliest superlative
  1. apt to crumble; friable.


crumbly British  
/ ˈkrʌmblɪ /

adjective

  1. easily crumbled or crumbling

"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. slang an older person

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

Etymology

Origin of crumbly

First recorded in 1515–25; crumble + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

During the first 500,000 years, the amount of crumbly material dropped before rising again over the following million years.

From Science Daily May 26, 2026

Slice-and-bake cookies, whether rich shortbreads like the one here or crumbly sablés, are supposedly goofproof.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 5, 2025

The cheese itself “offers tangy flavors, rich aromas, and a crumbly, elegantly easy-eating texture,” as described by TJ’s.

From Salon Jul. 30, 2025

"It was a bit damp and there was all this crumbly plaster and stuff in there - then my hand stumbled on this solid object and I pulled out this glass bottle."

From BBC Feb. 21, 2025

The ground underfoot was dry and crumbly, and although they tried to hurry, it was difficult because the furrows rose up to trip them.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

It will be crumblier when you make it without gluten, but the heartiness makes up for that.

From Salon Sep. 14, 2023

The resulting cake is crumblier — because duh, it doesn't have the fat! — but it's good.

From Salon Aug. 11, 2022

This fall, we set out to publish the most delicious apple-cranberry crisp recipe of all time — one that was bursting with juicy fruit, lightly spiced, with the butteriest, crumbliest topping.

From Salon Nov. 12, 2022

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