fragile

[ fraj-uhl; British fraj-ahyl ]

adjective

1. easily broken, shattered, or damaged; delicate; brittle; frail:

   a fragile ceramic container; a very fragile alliance.

2. vulnerably delicate, as in appearance:

   She has a fragile beauty.

3. lacking in substance or force; flimsy:

   a fragile excuse.

fragile

/ frəˈdʒɪlɪtɪ; ˈfrædʒaɪl /

adjective

1. able to be broken easily
2. in a weakened physical state
3. delicate; light

   a fragile touch

4. slight; tenuous

   a fragile link with the past

Derived Forms

• fragility, noun
• ˈfragilely, adverb

Other Words From

• fragile·ly adverb
• fra·gil·i·ty [fr, uh, -, jil, -i-tee], fragile·ness noun
• non·fragile adjective
• non·fragile·ly adverb
• non·fragile·ness noun
• nonfra·gili·ty noun
• over·fragile adjective
• un·fragile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fragile¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fragile¹

C17: from Latin fragilis , from frangere to break

Synonym Study

See frail ¹.

Example Sentences

Predictions for a catch-up rally have repeatedly failed over the years, and an uptick in virus cases and travel restrictions threaten an already fragile economic recovery.

From Fortune

When we learn to be comfortable with ourselves, we are in a position to see and appreciate how others are different from us rather than just relying on them to support our fragile sense of self.

From MIT Technology Review

The quantum states at the heart of today’s quantum computers are fragile things.

From Singularity Hub 

This impending paradigm shift could be a threat to the stability of our fragile system, but only if it is not fully anticipated.

From Singularity Hub 

He used a somewhat similar imaging tool last summer in the Gulf of Alaska and can think of plenty of fragile, filmy creatures that he would love to scan.

From Science News

Domestically, the prime minister maintains the dubious line that he is the only man who can keep the still-fragile peace.

From The Daily Beast

The gym—a fragile collective of human ecology at the best of times—has suddenly become even more tense.

From The Daily Beast

It's about the delicate fabric of the universe and how our fragile insides crumble when that fabric is torn.

From The Daily Beast

He was coming out of a relationship and was in a fragile place himself.

From The Daily Beast

The Houthis have done exactly this and have shaken the already fragile government of Yemen to its foundations.

From The Daily Beast

Bang went the fragile bulb, as it splintered into a thousand atoms, and the mercury shot in sparkling globules over the table.

From Project Gutenberg

A fragile arm twined itself about his neck and he kissed her on the lips.

From Project Gutenberg

But children came and died too quickly for her health and fragile beauty, and the storms of life beset her.

From Project Gutenberg

A cigar should be handled daintily; it is a fragile, graceful creature—don't mar its beauty.

From Project Gutenberg

That rare and curious being called I is more fragile than any porcelain jar.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• brittle
• delicate
• feeble
• flimsy
• frail
• frangible
• infirm
• shatterable
• weak