adjective / noun
brittle
BRIT-ul/ˈbrɪtl/
Hard but liable to snap under pressure.
The thin brittle candy snaps cleanly between her fingertips.
Etymology
Middle English britel emphasized easy, sudden breakage, the defining weakness of a brittle material despite its hardness. It may be related to Old English brytan, “break to pieces,” but that ancestry is uncertain.
In context
more harm than breaking a cow's leg and a church they are all so brittle they are indeed said the Scarecrow and I'm thankful I am made of straw and cannot be easily damaged
More examples
- Old rubber becomes brittle and cracks when bent.
- He masked his anxiety with a brittle laugh.
- She broke the peanut brittle into small pieces.
Forms
brittle · brittler · brittlest
Similar words
- fragile
- Easily damaged in general, brittle specifically tends to snap or crack.