Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for brittle on Thesaurus.com adjective, brit·tler, brit·tlest. having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass. easily damaged or destroyed; fragile; frail: a brittle marriage. lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof; self-centered: a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person. having a sharp, tense quality: a brittle tone of voice. unstable or impermanent; evanescent. Show More
a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled: peanut brittle. Show More
verb (used without object), brit·tled, brit·tling. to be or become brittle; crumble. Show More
Origin of brittle 1350–1400; Middle English britel, equivalent to brit- (akin to Old English brysten fragment) + -el adj. suffix
Related forms brit·tle·ness , noun un·brit·tle , adjective un·brit·tle·ness , noun Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for brittle breakable ,
crisp ,
frail ,
short ,
stiff ,
crumbling ,
crumbly ,
delicate ,
friable ,
inelastic ,
vitreous ,
weak ,
frangible ,
shivery ,
curt ,
edgy ,
irritable ,
nervous ,
prim ,
stilted Examples from the Web for brittle Contemporary Examples of brittle Instead of being strong and resilient, bones become weak and brittle .
Brittle egos are bolstered less by what they love about themselves than what they find contemptible in others.
Her many style tics—stacked one atop the other—read as code for narcissism, self-indulgence, and brittle self-absorption.
“Petulant,” “brittle ” and “very very mean” are all words Isaacson used to describe Jobs at times.
Cook at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or broil quickly until the brittle has melted to give a smooth covering.
Historical Examples of brittle If the one be porcelain, and the other earthen ware, both are brittle !
It was yellow and brittle with age, covered with writing in a fine clear hand.
This is an extremely beautiful plant, very tender or brittle .
Notice the smooth grainless texture—hard and yet not brittle .
Such plates may be so badly damaged that they are brittle and crumbled.
British Dictionary definitions for brittle easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile curt or irritable a brittle reply hard or sharp in quality Show More
a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts peanut brittle Show More
Derived Forms brittlely or brittly , adverb Word Origin for brittle C14: from Old English brytel (unattested); related to brytsen fragment, brēotan to break
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for brittle adj. late 14c., britel , perhaps from an unrecorded Old English adjective *brytel , related to brytan "to crush, pound, to break to pieces," from Proto-Germanic stem *brutila- "brittle," from *breutan "to break up" (cf. Old Norse brjota "to break," Old High German brodi "fragile"), and related to bruise (v.). With -le , suffix forming adjectives with meaning "liable to."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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 .Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
