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Synonyms

friable

American  
[frahy-uh-buhl] / ˈfraɪ ə bəl /

adjective

  1. easily crumbled or reduced to powder; crumbly.

    friable rock.

    Synonyms:
    frangible, fragile

friable British  
/ ˈfraɪəbəl /

adjective

  1. easily broken up; crumbly

"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

Etymology

Origin of friable

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin friābilis, equivalent to friā(re) “to rub, crumble” + -ābilis -able

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:

But one piece of the more concerning friable asbestos - which can be easily crushed into a powder - was found at a public park in suburb Surry Hills.

From BBC Feb. 19, 2024

Early Americans drained these swamps to acquire civilization’s most essential resource: tillable land with friable soil.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 26, 2016

Tangier’s location in the center of the bay, along with its friable turf of sand and silt, leaves it dangerously exposed and fragile.

From New York Times Jul. 6, 2016

Soil: Choose a potting mix that is friable and drains quickly, such as a "cactus mix."

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 3, 2016

Now there were open fields among the lakes and forests, fields with the crumbly friable soil potatoes love.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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