brittle

American  

[brit-l] / ˈbrɪt l /

adjective

brittler, brittlest

1. having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass.

   Synonyms:

   fragile

2. easily damaged or destroyed; fragile; frail.

   a brittle marriage.

3. lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof; self-centered.

   a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person.

4. having a sharp, tense quality.

   a brittle tone of voice.

5. unstable or impermanent; evanescent.

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noun

1. a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled.

   peanut brittle.

verb (used without object)

brittled, brittling

1. to be or become brittle; crumble.

brittle British  

/ ˈbrɪtəl /

adjective

1. easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile

2. curt or irritable

   a brittle reply

3. hard or sharp in quality

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noun

1. a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts

   peanut brittle

brittle Scientific  

/ brĭt′l /

1. Having a tendency to break when subject to high stress. Brittle materials have undergone very little strain when they reach their elastic limit, and tend to break at that limit.

2. Compare ductile

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Related Words

See frail ¹.

Other Word Forms

• brittlely adverb
• brittleness noun
• unbrittle adjective
• unbrittleness noun

Etymology

Origin of brittle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English britel, equivalent to brit- (akin to Old English brysten “fragment”) + -el adjective suffix

Explanation

Something brittle is easily broken. Do you have brittle bones? Then no football or rugby for you. Besides meaning easily fractured and emotionally cold, brittle is also a type of candy made of cooled sugar. To make peanut brittle, bake the ingredients on a cookie sheet then let the brittle cool into sheets which you break into pieces (and then eat — wreaking havoc with your braces). It's ok to use the adjective brittle freely to describe lots of things that will break easily — such as a heart, a theory, or a poorly equipped army.

Example Sentences

One problem, though: Untreated rubber becomes brittle when exposed to cold, and tacky and runny when hot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

We move in a familiar loop: outrage at dysfunction, ritualized critique, then a quiet hope that the same brittle systems will somehow stabilize themselves when the stakes get high.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

"Any dissolution of the coalition essentially would make the right of centre look brittle and fragile and disunited," he told AFP.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

However, Conservative peer Lord Shinkwin, who has rare brittle bone disease osteogenesis imperfecta, argued that peers had already "been generous with our time".

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Scrounging in the fridge for a snack, Tricia and Julie were thrilled to find peanut-butter brittle ice cream and Dr. Pepper left behind by Johnson’s daughters.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin