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eggshell

American  
[eg-shel] / ˈɛgˌʃɛl /

noun

eggshells plural
  1. the shell of a bird's egg, consisting of keratin fibers and calcite crystals.

  2. a pale yellowish-white color.

  3. rather bulky paper having a slightly rough finish.


adjective

  1. like an eggshell, as in thinness and delicacy; very brittle; fragile.

  2. being pale yellowish-white in color.

  3. having little or no gloss.

    eggshell white paint.

eggshell British  
/ ˈɛɡˌʃɛl /

noun

  1. the hard porous protective outer layer of a bird's egg, consisting of calcite and protein

  2. a yellowish-white colour

  3. a type of paper with a slightly rough finish

  4. (modifier) (of paint) having a very slight sheen

    an eggshell finish

  5. to be very cautious or diplomatic for fear of upsetting someone

"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

adjective

  1. of a yellowish-white colour

    eggshell paint

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of eggshell

First recorded in 1250–1300, eggshell is from the Middle English word ayschelle. See egg 1, shell

Vocabulary lists containing eggshell

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Like the large so-called moon jar that opens the exhibition, these capacious bowls glazed in eggshell white flaunt their foibles with wobbling edges that give character to otherwise pure forms.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 6, 2026

On Friday, observers spotted what appeared to be a pip — or breach in the eggshell.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 3, 2026

A report from 2007 said it was feasible for influenza viruses to enter through the eggshell.

From Salon Jun. 5, 2024

To reach these conclusions, the team collected tens of thousands of eggshell fragments from sites located along the main Central Asian corridor of the Silk Road.

From Science Daily Apr. 2, 2024

His voice crackles softly, like the peeling of an eggshell, and Lourdes has to stand perfectly still to hear his words.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Fossilized dinosaur eggshells included in the study, for example, continued to show detectable statistical patterns connected to ancient biological activity.

From Science Daily May 12, 2026

A close friend of Vance who spoke with him recently said he described feeling like he was sometimes walking on eggshells around Trump because of his antiwar views.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 11, 2026

Curiously, DDT did not kill the birds outright, but rather caused their eggshells to collapse under the weight of the incubating adults.

From Slate Feb. 21, 2026

On the United States, he's walking on eggshells.

From Barron's Feb. 3, 2026

Because I was done with the secrets and the quiet and the walking on eggshells.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

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