as in brittle
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
a crumbly shortbread cookie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crumbly
This interesting variation has far better chocolate than the original, but the filling is crumbly and tastes more like oil than peanut butter.
—
Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Lattafa Pride Artisan Ethnique Eau de Parfum Imagine a crumbly cinnamon cake dipped in an espresso martini with notes of warm cinnamon, rum, sugar, coffee, and vanilla.
—Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 5 Feb. 2026
Watch for pedestal logs, remnants of ancient trees perched atop a crumbly stand of thick clay as if on display.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Exactly these few curbless, bleached, and crumbly asphalt streets that curl back on themselves or run on out into the prairie.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Lattafa Pride Artisan Ethnique Eau de Parfum Imagine a crumbly cinnamon cake dipped in an espresso martini with notes of warm cinnamon, rum, sugar, coffee, and vanilla.
—Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 5 Feb. 2026
Watch for pedestal logs, remnants of ancient trees perched atop a crumbly stand of thick clay as if on display.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Exactly these few curbless, bleached, and crumbly asphalt streets that curl back on themselves or run on out into the prairie.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbly
Adjective
-
Hit hospital systems and ordinary life starts to feel brittle.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Foote records as Leech, runs the great Peak Oil label, and is general manager of the storied Kranky, while Dickow has amassed a vast catalog of brittle yet voluptuous electronic music as Strategy.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Mayer envisioned rocking chairs, crisp linens and tasty dinners.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Thursday is a transitional day, one of those crisp, blue-sky days that require sunglasses and a sweater.—
Greg Porter,
San Francisco Chronicle,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
However, the fragile and friable nature of aged amber likely posed a significant challenge to its removal.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Those unregulated hazardous substances include liquid waste, friable, asbestos wastes and combustion wastes.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbly. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
