Link Centre Dictionary

brittle

UK/ˈbɹɪtəl/ US/ˈbɹʷɪtʰəl] ~ [ˈbɹʷɪtʰl̩/ uncommon informal obsolete
adjective (3) noun (1)

adjective

1.

having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped

  • “brittle bones”
  • “glass is brittle”
  • “brickle”
  • “brickly”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

lacking warmth and generosity of spirit

  • “a brittle and calculating woman”
Similar
3.

noun

1.

caramelized sugar cooled in thin sheets

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English britel, brutel, brotel (“brittle”), from Old English *brytel, *bryttol (“brittle, fragile”, literally “prone to or tending to break”); equivalent to brit + -le.

Phrases

  • brittle bone disease
  • brittle cinder
  • brittle fracture
  • brittle hair syndrome
  • brittle star
  • peanut brittle
  • Sabinas brittle hair syndrome

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.