brittle
[ brit-l ]
/ ˈbrɪt l /
Save This Word!
adjective, brit·tler, brit·tlest.
noun
a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled: peanut brittle.
verb (used without object), brit·tled, brit·tling.
to be or become brittle; crumble.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Origin of brittle
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 FROM brittle
brit·tle·ness, nounun·brit·tle, adjectiveun·brit·tle·ness, nounWords nearby brittle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for brittle
British Dictionary definitions for brittle
brittle
/ (ˈbrɪtəl) /
adjective
easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile
curt or irritablea brittle reply
hard or sharp in quality
noun
a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nutspeanut brittle
Derived forms of brittle
brittlely or brittly, adverbWord 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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for brittle
brittle
[ brĭt′l ]
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.