Meaning & use
shatter-resistant
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
made so that it does not break into sharp pieces when hit or dropped
Grammar: Used before a noun: shatter-resistant glass. It is not usually used after a verb, and it has no comparative form.
Patterns
- shatter-resistant glass
- shatter-resistant screen
- shatter-resistant container
The phone has a shatter-resistant screen, so a short fall will not crack it easily.
Store the chemicals in a shatter-resistant container.
The windows in the school are shatter-resistant for safety.
Common combinations
- shatter-resistant glass
- The lab bench is covered with shatter-resistant glass.
- shatter-resistant screen
- A shatter-resistant screen protects the display if you drop the device.
- shatter-resistant coating
- They added a shatter-resistant coating to the bottles.
- highly shatter-resistant
- The new material is highly shatter-resistant.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shatterproof
- Shatterproof is stronger and means it will not shatter at all; shatter-resistant means it is hard to shatter but can still break.
- toughened
- Toughened is used mostly for glass that has been specially treated; shatter-resistant is a wider word for any material.
Opposites
Word family
- shatter verb
- to break suddenly into many small pieces
- shattering adjective
- very shocking or upsetting; also the act of breaking
Commonly confused: shatter-resistant or shatterproof?
shatter-resistant vs shatterproof
Shatterproof means it cannot shatter, while shatter-resistant means it is difficult to shatter but may still break.
Practice
Which sentence uses shatter-resistant correctly?
Choose one answer.
Shatter-resistant is an adjective used before a noun, so 'shatter-resistant glass' is correct. Option An is wrong because the word has no comparative form, and options C and D use it in impossible positions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shatter-resistant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.