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 But a new study suggests women can both manage their weight and guard against brittle bones by eating a low-calorie Mediterranean diet and getting a variety of exercise throughout the week. Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 22 Apr. 2025 Effortless, beachy waves that stay soft and bouncy, not brittle. Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 1 May 2025 This deeply hydrating treatment offers touchable softness to brittle strands and delivers moisture directly to the cortex with a potent blend of squalane, humectants, and peptides. Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 30 Apr. 2025 Taking magnesium supplements may help improve health conditions like high blood pressure, osteoporosis (brittle bones), and migraines. Kirstyn Hill, Pharmd, Mph, Health, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brittle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brittle
Adjective
  • The settlement elicited a crisp rebuke from Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw, a member of the commission’s Democratic minority.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
  • Sound quality doesn't disappoint either with notably deep bass and crisp highs.
    Cierra Cowan, PC Magazine, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • Stock tip: Migrate to icier territories… Aston Villa 6/1 Last five results: WLWWW A two-goal deficit to overcome in the Champions League quarter-final return leg against Paris Saint-Germain next week likely spells the end of Villa’s European aspirations.
    Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The relationship between Ye and Cole has been icy for some time.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
    Josh Miller, Southern Living, 15 May 2025
  • There is marine sand and sediment, river wash, and alluvium, with pockets of soft, crumbly earth and clay.
    Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Distributors — dear friends and colleagues — lament the same familiar woes: not enough films, or too many; the best titles are overpriced; the coffee is terrible; the weather is unbearable — too hot, too cold or both.
    Martin Moszkowicz, Deadline, 17 May 2025
  • The company specializes in cold cases and uses genealogy.
    Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • For Testers The focus shifts from maintaining fragile scripts tied to UI elements to ensuring robust, conceptual test coverage.
    Asad Khan, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
  • As neo-colonial dynamics among the expatriate community unravel, this fragile bond becomes his only refuge from an impending collapse into solitude or barbarism.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • When older cinematographer Otto Heller (The Ladykillers, Alfie) refused to take a medical exam to be insured for Billion Dollar Brain, which was going to be filmed in frigid Finland, producer Harry Saltzman turned to Williams, who had done commercials for Russell.
    Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025
  • Other parks, such as Denali and Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska, are much easier to access and far less frigid in summer.
    Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • The latter is the name of a short projection show at Disney California Adventure (DCA).
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • Now Feeling Crunch of Production Contraction The film marks the feature directorial debut of Italian-German filmmaker Nora Jaenicke, who has previously earned acclaim for her short films.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • During chilly morning boat excursions, hot water bottles appeared on our seats.
    Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 20 May 2025
  • Listen to this article A small group, most wearing light jackets in the chilly May evening, gathered in prayer outside the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City Monday night just hours before Benjamin Ritchie was executed by lethal injection.
    Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brittle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brittle. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on brittle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!