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fragile

[ fraj-uhl; British fraj-ahyl ]
/ ˈfrædʒ əl; British ˈfrædʒ aɪl /
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See synonyms for: fragile / fragileness / fragility on Thesaurus.com

adjective
easily broken, shattered, or damaged; delicate; brittle; frail: a fragile ceramic container; a very fragile alliance.
vulnerably delicate, as in appearance: She has a fragile beauty.
lacking in substance or force; flimsy: a fragile excuse.
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Origin of fragile

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin fragilis, equivalent to frag- (variant stem of the verb frangere break) + -ilis -ile

synonym study for fragile

1. See frail1.

OTHER WORDS FROM fragile

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH fragile

brittle, fragile , frail1 (see synonym study at frail1)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fragile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fragile

fragile
/ (ˈfrædʒaɪl) /

adjective
able to be broken easily
in a weakened physical state
delicate; lighta fragile touch
slight; tenuousa fragile link with the past

Derived forms of fragile

fragilely, adverbfragility (frəˈdʒɪlɪtɪ) or fragileness, noun

Word Origin for fragile

C17: from Latin fragilis, from frangere 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
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