brittle
Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impactInflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact.
» Metals can become brittle at low temperatures.
Metalle können bei tiefen Temperaturen spröde werden.
Metalle können bei niedrigen Temperaturen spröde werden.
При низких температурах металлы могут становиться хрупкими.
Meaning
6 sensesInflexible; 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.
spröde, brüchig, bröckelig
хру́пкийxrúpkij, ло́мкийlómkij
крихкийkryxkyj, ламкийlamkyj
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.
spröde, krümelig, bröselig
хру́пкийxrúpkij
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.
reizbar, kühl, fragil
чувстви́тельныйčuvstvítelʹnyj, уязви́мыйujazvímyj, беззащи́тныйbezzaščítnyj
чутливийčutlyvyj
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.
(informal, proscribed)Characterized by dramatic swings in blood sugar level.
- having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
- (of metal or glass) not annealed and consequently easily cracked or fractured
- lacking warmth and generosity of spirit
Examples
4 sentencesMetals can become brittle at low temperatures.
ruПри низких температурах металлы могут становиться хрупкими.
deMetalle können bei tiefen Temperaturen spröde werden.
I don't like peanut brittle. I love it!
deIch mag Erdnusskrokant nicht. Ich liebe es!
This glass is brittle.
It appears that older men who eat fruits and vegetables can delay the onset of brittle bone disease known as osteoporosis.
deEs scheint, dass ältere Männer, die Obst und Gemüse essen, den Beginn der Glasknochenkrankheit, bekannt als Osteoporose, hinauszögern können.
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 2
By meaning 3
Origin
From Middle English britel, brutel, brotel (“brittle”), from Old English *brytel, *bryttolFrom Middle English britel, brutel, brotel (“brittle”), from Old English *brytel, *bryttol (“brittle, fragile”, literally “prone to or tending to break”); equivalent to brit + -le.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
brittler/more brittle, brittlest/most brittle| Comparative | brittler / more brittle Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | brittlest / most brittle Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
5 synonyms- having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped:bricklebrickly
- (of metal or glass) not annealed and consequently easily cracked or fractured:unannealed
Antonyms
2 antonymsWord family
13 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form