What does "brittle" mean?
A confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.
Brittle
/ˈbɹɪtl̩/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.
- Grammar: brittle is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: atrophied, breakable, breakable, breakables.
- Useful contrasts: adamant, armored earth wire, best endurance.
- Usage evidence: After being out in the wind and rain for years and years the walls of this apartment building are weather-beaten and brittle.
How to use "brittle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "brittle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "brittle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "brittle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "brittle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "brittle" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "atrophied" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "brittle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A confection of caramelized sugar and nuts. uncountable, usually
"As a child, my favorite candy was peanut brittle."
- 2 caramelized sugar cooled in thin sheets wordnet
- 3 Anything resembling this confection, such as flapjack, a cereal bar, etc. broadly, uncountable, usually
Verb
- 1 To become brittle. intransitive
"The project is based on a similar project, the Class project, which was started by the University of Cornell several years ago under the leadership of Stuart Lynn to preserve brittling old books."
- 2 To gut. obsolete, transitive
"Not being versed in the terms of English venery, he asked Abbot Ulfketyl what brittling of a deer might mean; and being informed that it was that operation on the carcass of a stag which his countrymen called eventrer, and Highland gillies now “gralloching”[.]"
Adjective
- 1 Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact.
"Near-synonym: crackly"
- 2 Not physically tough or tenacious; apt to break or crumble when bending.
"Shortbread is my favorite cold pastry, yet being so brittle it crumbles easily, and a lot goes to waste."
- 3 Tending to fracture in a conchoidal way; capable of being knapped or flaked.
- 4 Emotionally fragile, easily offended.
"What a brittle personality! A little misunderstanding and he's an emotional wreck."
- 5 Poorly error- or fault-tolerant; having little in the way of redundancy or defense in depth; susceptible to catastrophic failure in the event of a relatively-minor malfunction or deviance.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Characterized by dramatic swings in blood sugar level. informal, proscribed
Adjective
- 1 having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped wordnet
- 2 (of metal or glass) not annealed and consequently easily cracked or fractured wordnet
- 3 lacking warmth and generosity of spirit wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"After being out in the wind and rain for years and years the walls of this apartment building are weather-beaten and brittle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "brittle"?
Common synonyms include: atrophied, breakable, breakable, breakables, breaking, brickle.
How do you use "brittle" in a sentence?
After being out in the wind and rain for years and years the walls of this apartment building are weather-beaten and brittle.
How do you pronounce "brittle"?
Pronounced /ˈbɹɪtl̩/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
From a diminutive form of Brett.