brittle
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brit·tle
(brĭt′l)adj. brit·tler, brit·tlest
1.
a. Likely to break, snap, or crack, as when subjected to pressure: brittle bones.
b. Easily damaged or disrupted; fragile: a brittle friendship. See Synonyms at fragile.
2.
a. Difficult to deal with; snappish: a brittle disposition.
b. Lacking warmth of feeling; cold: a reputation for being brittle and aloof.
3. Brilliantly sharp, as in percussive sound.
4.
a. Perishable.
b. Fleeting; transitory.
n.
A confection of caramelized sugar to which nuts are added: walnut brittle.
[Middle English britel, probably from Old English *brytel, from bryttian, to shatter.]
brit′tle·ly (brĭt′l-ē) adv.
brit′tle·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
brittle
(ˈbrɪtəl)adj
1. easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile
2. curt or irritable: a brittle reply.
3. hard or sharp in quality
n
(Cookery) a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts: peanut brittle.
[C14: from Old English brytel (unattested); related to brytsen fragment, brēotan to break]
ˈbrittlely, ˈbrittly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
brit•tle
(ˈbrɪt l)adj. -tler, -tlest, adj.
1. having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass.
2. easily damaged or destroyed; fragile; frail.
3. lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; cold.
4. having a sharp, tense quality: a brittle tone of voice.
5. unstable or impermanent; evanescent.
n. 6. a confection of melted sugar, usu. with nuts, brittle when cooled.
v.i. 7. to be or become brittle.
[1350–1400; Middle English britel]
brit′tle•ness, n.
syn: See frail1.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
brit·tle
(brĭt′l) Likely to break, snap, or crack. Compare ductile.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  brittle - caramelized sugar cooled in thin sheetspeanut brittle - brittle containing peanuts |
| Adj. | 1. | brittle - having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped; "brittle bones"; "glass is brittle"; "`brickle' and `brickly' are dialectal" breakable - capable of being broken or damaged; "earthenware pottery is breakable"; "breakable articles should be packed carefully" |
| 2. | brittle - lacking warmth and generosity of spirit; "a brittle and calculating woman" coldhearted - lacking in sympathy or feeling | |
| 3. | brittle - (of metal or glass) not annealed and consequently easily cracked or fractured unhardened, untempered - not brought to a proper consistency or hardness; "untempered mortar"; "untempered steel" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
brittle
adjective
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
brittle
adjectiveThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
قَصيمٌ، سَريعُ الأنكِسار
křehkýlámavýpřecitlivělýcitlivý
skør
stökkur, brothættur
dužustrapumastrapus
trauslsviegli plīstošs
krhek
kolay kırılır
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
brittle
[ˈbrɪtəl] adj to have brittle bones → avoir de l'ostéoporose
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
brittle
adj
(fig) nerves → schwach; person → empfindlich; voice, laugh → schrill; to have a brittle temper → aufbrausend sein
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
brittle
(ˈbritl) adjective hard but easily broken. brittle materials.
ˈbrittleness nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
brittle
adj (nails, etc.) frágil, quebradizo; (diabetes) difícil de controlarEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.