Brittle has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
Noun
· Adjective
Noun
1
caramelized sugar cooled in thin sheets
"She carefully broke off a shard of brittle to add a sweet crunch to her afternoon tea."
2
A confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.
"After waiting for the caramel to cool, she broke off a small piece of brittle to share with her neighbor."
Adjective
1
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
"brittle bones"
"glass is brittle"
"`brickle' and `brickly' are dialectal"
2
lacking warmth and generosity of spirit
"a brittle and calculating woman"
3
(of metal or glass) not annealed and consequently easily cracked or fractured
"The old windowpane shattered into sharp shards when I leaned against it, proving how brittle the unannealed glass had become."
4
Inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under stress or pressure.
"The old wooden ruler felt so brittle that it snapped instantly when I tried to bend it slightly."
Example Sentences
"brittle bones"
adjective
"glass is brittle"
adjective
"`brickle' and `brickly' are dialectal"
adjective
"a brittle and calculating woman"
adjective
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)