Synonyms for brittle
- adjective
Definitions
- adj. 1
Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact.
A diamond is hard but brittle.
- adj. 2
Not physically tough or tenacious; apt to break or crumble when bending.
Shortbread is my favorite cold pastry, yet being so brittle it crumbles easily, and a lot goes to waste.
- adj. 3
Tending to fracture in a conchoidal way; capable of being knapped or flaked.
Related words
- Word family
- brittility brittlebush brittlegill brittleness brittlestem
- Phrases
- brittle star brittle bone disease brittle hair syndrome
- Is a kind of
- breakable
Example sentences
- fragile Fresh figs are very fragile and highly perishable.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| brittle | falling | |
| fragile | rising | |
| unannealed | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- weak1
- 5 letters
- short1, crisp1, frail1, brash1
- 6 letters
- crispy2, flimsy2
- 7 letters
- fragile2, crumbly, friable, crackly, shivery, brickle2, brickly
- 8 letters
- delicate3
- 9 letters
- breakable3, frangible
- 10 letters
- unannealed
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (crispy2 = 2 syllables).