Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective brittle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of brittle are crisp, fragile, frangible, and friable. While all these words mean "breaking easily," brittle implies hardness together with lack of elasticity or flexibility or toughness.

brittle bones

When could crisp be used to replace brittle?

The synonyms crisp and brittle are sometimes interchangeable, but crisp implies a firmness and brittleness desirable especially in some foods.

crisp lettuce

In what contexts can fragile take the place of brittle?

The meanings of fragile and brittle largely overlap; however, fragile implies extreme delicacy of material or construction and need for careful handling.

a fragile antique chair

When would frangible be a good substitute for brittle?

While the synonyms frangible and brittle are close in meaning, frangible implies susceptibility to being broken without implying weakness or delicacy.

frangible stone used for paving

When might friable be a better fit than brittle?

In some situations, the words friable and brittle are roughly equivalent. However, friable applies to substances that are easily crumbled or pulverized.

friable soil

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 brittle The brittle, eco-friendly bamboo straw is another concession to the community, as are the splinters. Joe Joyce, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025 Deficiency symptoms may include thinning hair, skin rashes, or brittle nails. Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2025 That leaves it friendless, brittle, and uncreative—and, paradoxically, that leaves it vulnerable when fighting, too. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025 Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides. Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brittle
Adjective
  • Not now, at least, even after Muchová had delivered her one wild test on a crisp, clear night in front of yet another capacity crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium, just as Osaka likes it.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • From his head-banging guitar solo to his crisp, impressively precise vocals, Thomas delivered male R&B showmanship reminiscent of Maxwell or D’Angelo.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • From island flavors at the Caribbean Beach Resort to the splash zones of Typhoon Lagoon and the icy adventures at Blizzard Beach, there’s still plenty of time to soak up every last drop of the summer.
    Martie Bowser, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
  • From sweltering summer afternoons to rainy days and icy winters, there are plenty of times when heading outside just isn’t an option.
    Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The drink features cold brew coffee, oat milk, and pumpkin pie syrup topped with cold foam, caramel sauce, and a crumbly graham cracker topping.
    Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or forks until the mixture is crumbly.
    Gretchen McKay, Boston Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The fair also will feature two stages of music, an entertainment dome, mouthwatering festival food and plenty of cold beer.
    Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In a study, the team describes how cooling a gas of radioactive atoms to temperatures colder than deep space could synchronize their radioactive decay.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The giant ginkgo doesn’t change much, but everything around it does, and Enyedi seems determined to show us how fragile, and culturally contingent our idea of reality, really is.
    Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Underwater drones could one day use similar appendages to squeeze into tight spaces, explore fragile ecosystems without damage, or carry out repairs in difficult-to-reach areas.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The need for such shelters came into sharp focus in January 2025, when prolonged periods of frigid winter weather gripped Louisville.
    Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Prior to and after the ruling, a small but noisy crowd spent those fateful hours chanting in support outside the PJ headquarters in San Telmo, a nearby Buenos Aires neighborhood, many of whom followed her back to Calle San José that frigid night.
    Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • On its opening day, multiple patients from UHI made the short walk across Fisherman Street to the big blue bus to wait for their names to be called.
    Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The advent of short-form cricket has seen fielding standards rise rapidly in the past decade.
    James Wallace, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The midweight fabric is perfect for layering on chillier fall days, while the snap closure leaves room for easy venting.
    Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2025
  • This jacket is constructed with a mix of polyester and spandex, which is lightweight enough for warmer fall days but still provides enough warmth when temperatures are on the chilly side.
    Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Brittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brittle. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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