brittle
/ˈbɹɪtəl/ adjective C1- Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact. · Near-synonyms: crackly, (technical) brash· Cast iron is much more brittle than forged iron.
- Not physically tough or tenacious; apt to break or crumble when bending. · Shortbread is my favorite cold pastry, yet being so brittle it crumbles easily, and a lot goes to waste.
- Tending to fracture in a conchoidal way; capable of being knapped or flaked.
- Emotionally fragile, easily offended. · What a brittle person! A little misunderstanding and he's an emotional wreck.
- Poorly error- or fault-tolerant; having little in the way of redundancy or defense in depth; susceptible to catastrophic failure in the event of a relatively-minor malfunction or deviance.
- Characterized by dramatic swings in blood sugar level.
Comparative brittler · Superlative brittlest
From the library
And your bones are very brittle;
They are all so brittle!”
Elias carefully turned the brittle paper, instantly captivated by the depth of her profound passion for early aviation.
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