释义
[ brit -l ] SHOW IPA
/ ˈbrɪt l / PHONETIC RESPELLING
SEE SYNONYMS FOR brittle ON THESAURUS.COM
adjective, brit·tler, brit·tlest. having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength; breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass.
easily damaged or destroyed; fragile; frail: a brittle marriage.
lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof; self-centered: a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person.
having a sharp, tense quality: a brittle tone of voice.
unstable or impermanent; evanescent.
SEE MORE SEE LESS noun a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled: peanut brittle.
verb (used without object), brit·tled, brit·tling. to be or become brittle; crumble.
Origin of brittle First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English britel, equivalent to brit- (akin to Old English brysten “fragment”) + -el adjective suffix
SYNONYMS FOR brittle SEE SYNONYMS FOR brittle ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for brittle 1 . See frail1 .
OTHER WORDS FROM brittle brit·tle·ness, noun un·brit·tle, adjective un·brit·tle·ness, noun
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH brittle brittle , fragile, frail1 (see synonym study at frail1 )Words nearby brittle britt, Brittany, brittany blue, Brittany spaniel, Britten, brittle , brittle bone disease, brittle bones, brittlebush, brittle diabetes, brittle fern
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for brittle Even the denser rocks are much more porous and brittle than meteorites from similar asteroids that have been found on Earth.
The asteroid Bennu’s brittle boulders may make grabbing a sample easier | Lisa Grossman| October 8, 2020| Science News
However during later times after the Industrial Age, craftsmen were able to achieve higher temperatures for impurity removal, and they further improved upon the process by mixing carbon that made the brittle iron stronger.
14 Exceptional Weapon Systems from History That Were Ahead of their Time | Dattatreya Mandal| March 26, 2020| Realm of History
Instead of being strong and resilient, bones become weak and brittle .
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder | Carrie Arnold| December 20, 2014| DAILY BEAST
Brittle egos are bolstered less by what they love about themselves than what they find contemptible in others.
Why Boring Names Are Best | Justin Green| March 4, 2013| DAILY BEAST
Her many style tics—stacked one atop the other—read as code for narcissism, self-indulgence, and brittle self-absorption.
Newt Gingrich's Wife Callista's Prissy Style Problem | Robin Givhan| December 13, 2011| DAILY BEAST
“Petulant,” “brittle ” and “very very mean” are all words Isaacson used to describe Jobs at times.
Best Bits From the Steve Jobs Bio | Sadie Bass| October 24, 2011| DAILY BEAST
Cook at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or broil quickly until the brittle has melted to give a smooth covering.
Sweet Brits | Lydia Brownlow| April 4, 2011| DAILY BEAST
The battery has rubber jars which are brittle , and which are easily broken.
The Automobile Storage Battery | O. A. Witte
Aunt Adela, Rachel thought, was far too dried and brittle to risk any sharp contact with anything.
The Duchess of Wrexe | Hugh Walpole
The heat caused it to soften; then fermentation set in, and, finally, it became as hard and brittle as thin glass.
Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made | James D. McCabe, Jr.
The Scythe is an emblem of time, which cuts the brittle thread of life and launches us into eternity.
Masonic Monitor of the Degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason | George Thornburgh
Still it comes to something in their likeness, but we will not talk of it and break off the chrystals—they are so brittle , then?
The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 | Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett
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British Dictionary definitions for brittle adjective easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile
curt or irritable a brittle reply
hard or sharp in quality
noun a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts peanut brittle
Derived forms of brittle brittlely or brittly , adverb Word Origin for brittle C14: from Old English brytel (unattested); related to brytsen fragment, brēotan to break
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Words related to brittle breakable, crisp, frail, short, stiff, crumbling, crumbly, delicate, friable, inelastic, vitreous, weak, frangible, shivery, curt, edgy, irritable, nervous, prim, stilted
Scientific definitions for brittle 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. Compare ductile .
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.