Meaning & use
brittle
Hard but easily broken or snapped, lacking flexibility, or, figuratively, easily upset or emotionally fragile.
See it in a sentence
The old plastic had grown brittle over the years and cracked at the slightest pressure.
After the divorce, his usually confident manner turned brittle and easily wounded.
A note on using this word
Brittle differs from fragile in emphasizing hardness combined with a tendency to snap, rather than general delicacy.
Words with a similar meaning
fragilecrumbly
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
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