Definition of FRAGILITY

Choose the Right Synonym for fragile

fragile, frangible, brittle, crisp, friable mean breaking easily. fragile implies extreme delicacy of material or construction and need for careful handling. a fragile antique chair frangible implies susceptibility to being broken without implying weakness or delicacy. frangible stone used for paving brittle implies hardness together with lack of elasticity or flexibility or toughness. brittle bones crisp implies a firmness and brittleness desirable especially in some foods. crisp lettuce friable applies to substances that are easily crumbled or pulverized. friable soil

synonyms see in addition weak

Examples of fragile in a Sentence

Her health has always been very fragile. an artist with a fragile ego He is in an emotionally fragile state. The two countries have formed a fragile coalition.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Cohen episode has clearly rattled the president, even beyond his usual fragile mental state. — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Report: Feds Seized Recordings From Michael Cohen," 13 Apr. 2018 To achieve this strength, Corning has had to transform glass, which is naturally fragile. — Shannon Liao, The Verge, "Why your brand-new smartphone will scratch just as easily as your old one," 19 Oct. 2018 Orgasms can be fragile, requiring a certain environment to produce themselves. — Time, "Ask Dr. Ruth: How Can I Orgasm More Easily During Sex?," 29 Mar. 2018 Our Planet has been created in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and will showcase the planet’s most precious species and fragile habitats using the latest camera technology. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "Princes Charles, William, and Harry Make a Rare Joint Appearance at the Premiere of Our Planet," 4 Apr. 2019 Exchanges of fire between Israel and Hamas resumed late Tuesday, breaking a fragile calm, as political pressures on both sides threatened to spark a wider conflict. — Felicia Schwartz And Dov Lieber, WSJ, "Political Dynamics Raise Risk for Israel-Hamas Clash," 26 Mar. 2019 Khalilzad in November urged Ghani to put together a strong team that could ensure that fragile rights, including for women, are enshrined in any agreement with the Taliban. — Kathy Gannon, The Seattle Times, "Powerful political leader warns against squandering peace," 20 Feb. 2019 While Goblin’s work in the original film was relentless and full of creepy, chanted whispers, the 2018 film’s score, by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, is delicate and beautiful, stringing together gentle piano lines and fragile vocals. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "Suspiria is an ambitious remix of a horror classic," 26 Oct. 2018 But glass is heavy, fragile and expensive, so most DIY greenhouses are glazed with polycarbonate, acrylic, fiberglass, or polyethylene sheeting. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Build a Greenhouse," 28 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fragile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for fragile

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French fragile, borrowed from Latin fragilis, from frag-, variant stem of frangere "to break, shatter" + -ilis "subject to, susceptible to (the action of the verb)" (alteration of -ibilis -ible, originally by haplology after verb stems ending in a labial consonant) — more at break entry 1

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