fragile

[fraj-uhl, fraj-ahyl]

adjective

1. easily broken, shattered, or damaged; delicate; brittle; frail.

   a fragile ceramic container; a very fragile alliance.

2. vulnerably delicate, as in appearance.

   She has a fragile beauty.

3. lacking in substance or force; flimsy.

   a fragile excuse.

fragile

/ ˈfrædʒaɪl, frəˈdʒɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

1. able to be broken easily

2. in a weakened physical state

3. delicate; light

   a fragile touch

4. slight; tenuous

   a fragile link with the past

Other Word Forms

• fragilely adverb
• fragility noun
• fragileness noun
• nonfragile adjective
• nonfragilely adverb
• nonfragileness noun
• nonfragility noun
• overfragile adjective
• unfragile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fragile¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin fragilis, equivalent to frag- (variant stem of the verb frangere break ) + -ilis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of fragile¹

C17: from Latin fragilis , from frangere to break

Synonym Study

See frail ¹.

Example Sentences

It was only when Israeli forces finally withdrew that Hadeel was reunited with her husband, fragile but alive.

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Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said that removing deer would offer hope for an island that ranks “among the state’s most fragile and imperiled biodiversity hotspots.”

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The people of the world saw their planet as the astronauts saw it - fragile and beautiful, shining in the desolation of space.

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Meloni said the US proposal had sparked "hope" of ending the Israel-Hamas war, adding it was "a fragile balance, which many would be happy to destroy".

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Business confidence is a vital but fragile thing.

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Related Words

• brittle 
• delicate 
• feeble 
• flimsy 
• frail 
• frangible 
• infirm 
• shatterable www.thesaurus.com
• weak