brittle

[brit-l]

adjective

brittler, brittlest 

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)

brittled, brittling 

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

noun

1. a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts

   peanut brittle

brittle

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

Other Word Forms

• brittleness noun
• unbrittle adjective
• unbrittleness noun
• brittlely adverb

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of brittle¹

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

Synonym Study

See frail ¹.

Example Sentences

I slam my hand onto the dry, brittle ground and let my frustration weave into the earth.

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Immediately, she wished she had not been so direct, for Lady Constance’s expression looked suddenly brittle, like a soft bread roll gone stale and hard.

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The other notable character is the Arbiter, who functions primarily, and exhaustingly, as narrator, portrayed with brittle humor by Bryce Pinkham.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It certainly was for a brittle Newcastle side.

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Wind then carried the spray inland, where it settled on grasses and flowers and trees, turning them gray and brittle.

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