brittle

American  

[brit-l] / ˈbrɪt 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.

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noun

brittles plural

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 British  

/ ˈbrɪtəl /

adjective

1. easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile

2. curt or irritable

   a brittle reply

3. hard or sharp in quality

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noun

1. a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts

   peanut brittle

brittle Scientific  

/ brĭt′l /

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

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Synonym Usage

See frail ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• brittles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of brittle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English britel, equivalent to brit- (akin to Old English brysten “fragment”) + -el adjective suffix

Explanation

Something brittle is easily broken. Do you have brittle bones? Then no football or rugby for you. Besides meaning easily fractured and emotionally cold, brittle is also a type of candy made of cooled sugar. To make peanut brittle, bake the ingredients on a cookie sheet then let the brittle cool into sheets which you break into pieces (and then eat — wreaking havoc with your braces). It's ok to use the adjective brittle freely to describe lots of things that will break easily — such as a heart, a theory, or a poorly equipped army.

Example Sentences

The control he wields over his movies, which include the 2022 psychological creeper “Enys Men,” is in service of stories with a brittle, intentionally imperfect quality.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

That structure has now proven brittle in the current era of strategic competition.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

A year after the four-day India-Pakistan conflict brought South Asia to the edge of a dangerous escalation, the region has drifted into a brittle and deeply uneasy equilibrium.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

The old revolutionary story has grown brittle, feeble.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

With this brittle precis of her obligations he left the table and went toward the bedroom.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan