Spiders had woven their vague trapezes between the friable heads of dead peonies in enormous glass jars streaked with tide marks where the water had evaporated long ago.
Source: wiktionary
Friable
/ˈfɹaɪəbl̩/
Synonyms for "friable" (40 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (8)
Strong matches (12)
Related words (20)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: crumbly, breakable, brittle, brittle, brittle as glass.
- Sentence evidence is available for friable, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "friable".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "friable"
Keep "friable" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "friable" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "friable", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "friable" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
5 entriesadverb of mannerbreakable substancedelicate materialdelicate substancefragile material
More specific
8 entriesCollocations
12 entriesfriability testfriable ceramicfriable clayfriable materialfriable orefriable rockfriable sandstonefriable soilfriable tabletfriably dispersed grainsfriably ground mineralfriably milled powder
Inflections
2 entriesmore friablemost friable
Derivations
2 entriessimilar
1 entriesSample sentences
4 total sentences available.
This light, friable type of material offered excellent insulation against both desert heat and also the cold of darkness during the winter.
Source: wiktionary
So while two men under his directions were digging the grave with sticks in the friable granitic soil, he superintended the costume of the other actors in the drama.
Source: wiktionary
It is when asbestos-containing products are friable that hazardous asbestos fibers are likely to be released and sent airborne.
Source: wiktionary
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "friable"?
Closest matches include crumbly, breakable, brittle, brittle, brittle as glass.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "friable"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.