fragile
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frag·ile
(frăj′əl, -īl′)adj.
1. Easily broken, damaged, or destroyed.
2. Lacking physical or emotional strength; delicate: a fragile personality.
3. Lacking substance; tenuous or flimsy: a fragile claim to fame.
[French, from Old French, from Latin fragilis, from frangere, frag-, to break; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots.]
frag′ile·ly adv.
fra·gil′i·ty (frə-jĭl′ĭ-tē), frag′ile·ness n.
Synonyms: fragile, breakable, frangible, flimsy, brittle
These adjectives mean easily broken or damaged. Fragile applies to objects that are not made of strong or sturdy material and that require great care when handled: fragile porcelain plates.
Breakable and frangible mean capable of being broken but do not necessarily imply inherent weakness: breakable toys; frangible bullets designed to break apart on impact.
Flimsy refers to what is easily broken because of inferior materials or workmanship: "Flimsy and loosely built structures collapsed like houses of cards under the terrific wrenching and shaking" (Richard L. Humphrey).
Brittle refers to inelasticity that makes something especially likely to fracture or snap when it is subjected to pressure: brittle bones. See Also Synonyms at weak.
These adjectives mean easily broken or damaged. Fragile applies to objects that are not made of strong or sturdy material and that require great care when handled: fragile porcelain plates.
Breakable and frangible mean capable of being broken but do not necessarily imply inherent weakness: breakable toys; frangible bullets designed to break apart on impact.
Flimsy refers to what is easily broken because of inferior materials or workmanship: "Flimsy and loosely built structures collapsed like houses of cards under the terrific wrenching and shaking" (Richard L. Humphrey).
Brittle refers to inelasticity that makes something especially likely to fracture or snap when it is subjected to pressure: brittle bones. See Also Synonyms at weak.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fragile
(ˈfrædʒaɪl)adj
1. able to be broken easily
2. in a weakened physical state
3. delicate; light: a fragile touch.
4. slight; tenuous: a fragile link with the past.
[C17: from Latin fragilis, from frangere to break]
ˈfragilely adv
fragility, fragileness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
frag•ile
(ˈfrædʒ əl; Brit. -aɪl)adj.
1. easily broken or damaged; brittle: a fragile vase; a fragile alliance.
2. vulnerably delicate in appearance: fragile beauty.
3. lacking in substance or force; flimsy: a fragile excuse.
[1505–15; < Latin fragilis]
frag′ile•ly, adv.
frag′ile•ness, n.
syn: See frail1.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adj. | 1. | fragile - easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft" breakable - capable of being broken or damaged; "earthenware pottery is breakable"; "breakable articles should be packed carefully" |
| 2. | fragile - vulnerably delicate; "she has the fragile beauty of youth" delicate - exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly" | |
| 3. | fragile - lacking substance or significance; "slight evidence"; "a tenuous argument"; "a thin plot"; a fragile claim to fame" unimportant, insignificant - devoid of importance, meaning, or force |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
fragile
adjective
1. unstable, weak, vulnerable, delicate, uncertain, insecure, precarious, flimsy The fragile government was on the brink of collapse.
2. fine, weak, delicate, frail, feeble, brittle, flimsy, dainty, easily broken, breakable, frangible Coffee was served to them in cups of fragile china.
fine lasting, strong, tough, flexible, reliable, hardy, robust, sturdy, durable, elastic, resilient
fine lasting, strong, tough, flexible, reliable, hardy, robust, sturdy, durable, elastic, resilient
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
fragile
adjectiveThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
سريع الإنْكِسار، هَشهَشّ
křehký
skrøbelig
särkyvä
osjetljiv
brothættur
壊れやすい
깨지기 쉬운
plīstošstrausls
krhek
ömtålig
เปราะบาง
kırılgankolay kırılır
mỏng manh
fragile
[ˈfrædʒaɪl] ADJ2. (= delicate, fine) [plant, beauty, person] → delicado
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
fragile
adj glass, china, object → zerbrechlich; structure → fragil; fabric → fein; beauty, skin, child → zart; elderly person → gebrechlich; situation → heikel, unsicher; confidence → schwach; ceasefire, peace → brüchig; health → zart, anfällig; mental state, ego, economy → labil; government, democracy → geschwächt; “fragile (handle) with care” → „Vorsicht, zerbrechlich!“; the fragile economic/political situation → die labile Wirtschaftslage/politische Situation; to feel fragile (inf) → sich angeschlagen fühlen; to look fragile (inf) → angeschlagen aussehen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
fragile
[ˈfrædʒaɪl] adj → fragileI'm feeling rather fragile this morning (hum) (esp after drinking) → mi sento piuttosto debole stamattina
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
fragile
(ˈfrӕdʒail) , ((American) ˈfradʒəl) adjective easily broken. a fragile glass vase.
fraˈgility (-ˈdʒi-) nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
fragile
→ هَشّ křehký skrøbelig zerbrechlich εύθραυστος frágil särkyvä fragile osjetljiv fragile 壊れやすい 깨지기 쉬운 broos skrøpelig delikatny frágil хрупкий ömtålig เปราะบาง kırılgan mỏng manh 易碎的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
fragile
adj frágil, delicado, quebradizoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.