crumbly

[ kruhm-blee ]

adjective

, crum·bli·er, crum·bli·est.

1. apt to crumble; friable.

crumbly

/ ˈkrʌmblɪ /

adjective

1. easily crumbled or crumbling

noun

1. slang.
   an older person

Derived Forms

• ˈcrumbliness, noun

Other Words From

• crumbli·ness noun
• un·crumbly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crumbly¹

First recorded in 1515–25; crumble + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Prag explains that quinoa flour bakes similarly to oat flour, creating a denser, more crumbly texture.

From Outside Online

Tasters found it “crumbly,” “dusty,” “sandy” and “almost like shortbread.”

From Washington Post

Then, you dump the flour in and use a fork or your fingers, mixing until you get crumbly dough that comes together when you press it with your fingers.

From Washington Post

We threw in a spoiler crumbly cookie into all of the shipping methods, to see how much of a risk it is.

From Eater

Add more cream or stock, 1 tablespoon at a time, if it is dry or crumbly.

From Washington Post

Add the butter and mix it on low speed until the mixture is crumbly.

From The Daily Beast

However, the crumbly texture helps make it a sinfully delicious topping for yogurt.

From The Daily Beast

Granted, without eggs to help bind it together, it's a bit more crumbly than your average cake.

From The Daily Beast

Add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a fork, until it has lost its pink color and is evenly crumbly.

From The Daily Beast

Its tip was not metal, but chipped stone—crumbly, like the arrow-heads.

From Project Gutenberg

I found it porous and crumbly, and no heavier than so much chalk.

From Project Gutenberg

This extract rapidly gets hard, crumbly, and mouldy by keeping.

From Project Gutenberg

They bought a piece of it, a crumbly piece, with five shillings before they went away.

From Project Gutenberg

"Down this side, I think," he said, and they swung the lantern over the Grande Grève slope below the bit of crumbly pathway.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• powdery
• soft