brittle implies hardness together with lack of elasticity or flexibility or toughness.

BRITTLE definition: having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass. See examples of brittle used in a sentence.

An object or substance that is brittle is hard but easily broken. Pine is brittle and breaks. ...the dry, brittle ends of the hair. If you describe a situation, relationship, or someone's mood as brittle, …

1. a. Likely to break, snap, or crack, as when subjected to pressure: brittle bones. b. Easily damaged or disrupted; fragile: a brittle friendship. See Synonyms at fragile. 2. a. Difficult to …

Definition of brittle adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Dec 23, 2025 · brittle (comparative brittler or more brittle, superlative brittlest or most brittle) Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact; crackly. …

cold: a brittle tone of voice. a kind of candy made of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled: She made peanut brittle. brit•tle (brit′ l), adj., -tler, -tlest, n., v., -tled, -tling. breaking …