fragile

CEFRC1

/ˈfɹæd͡ʒaɪl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Easily broken, damaged, or harmed.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Feeling weak or easily disturbed as a result of illness.

Examples

  • These fragile items must be insured against all risks.

  • I never said I was fragile.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈfɹæd͡ʒəl/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Readily disrupted or destroyed.

  2. Easily broken, not sturdy; of delicate material.

  3. Thin-skinned or oversensitive.

More examples

In context

  • She caught the fragile vase before it could shatter on the floor.

  • The UN tries to maintain the fragile peace process in the region.

  • The chemist synthesizes a fragile molecule.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Be careful with that glass vase; it is very blank and might break if dropped.

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

Nearby

Origin

adjective

Borrowed from Middle French fragile, from Latin fragilis, formed on frag-, the root of frangere (“to break”). Cognate with fraction, fracture and doublet of frail.