as in brittle
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
a crumbly shortbread cookie
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Recent Examples of crumbly
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
The hard cheese has a tangy flavor and slightly crumbly texture, and combines the best of two popular cheeses.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
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
The hard cheese has a tangy flavor and slightly crumbly texture, and combines the best of two popular cheeses.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbly
Adjective
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When pressure is applied to skis on dry ice, the mechanical stress would fracture the brittle, dry surface.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Estrogen is important in regulating the amount of water in the body, and the drop in this hormone can lead to dehydration, and in turn, brittle nails.—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira,
Flow Space,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Senior commerce editor Nashia Baker likens this pillow to the feeling of a crisp autumn night, cracking your window to get a fresh breeze.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
19 Feb. 2026
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The dessert involves a cookie baked in a deep dish pizza pan until the middle is a smidgen past raw and the edges just crisp.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Those unregulated hazardous substances include liquid waste, friable, asbestos wastes and combustion wastes.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Dec. 2025
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Texture comes into play here, as well, with wispy nests of friable katayifi topping each scallop.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbly. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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