brittle

CEFRB2

/ˈbɹɪtəl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Hard but easily broken.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Not physically tough or tenacious; apt to break or crumble when bending.

Examples

  • I don't like peanut brittle. I love it!

  • Metals can become brittle at low temperatures.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4
Synonyms
3

Also pronounced

  • [ˈbɹʷɪɾəl] ~ [ˈbɹʷɪɾl̩]
  • [ˈbɹʷɪtʰəl] ~ [ˈbɹʷɪtʰl̩]

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Tending to fracture in a conchoidal way; capable of being knapped or flaked.

  2. Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact.

  3. Emotionally fragile, easily offended.

More examples

In context

  • Cast iron is much more brittle than forged iron.

  • A diamond is hard but brittle.

  • Near-synonym: crackly

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Old, dry tree branches are blank and snap easily.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English britel, brutel, brotel (“brittle”), from Old English *brytel, *bryttol (“brittle, fragile”, literally “prone to or tending to break”); equivalent to brit + -le.