brittle

UK: /ˈbrɪt^əl/ US: /ˈbrɪtəl/ ,(brit′l)

Inflections of 'brittle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

brittles

v 3rd person singular

brittling

v pres p

brittled

v past

brittled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

brit•tle /ˈbrɪtəl/   adj., -tler, -tlest, n. 
adj. 

1. having hardness and stiffness but breaking easily;
   easily damaged;
   frail:
   brittle icicles.
2. having a sharp, tense quality;
   lacking friendliness;
   cold:
   a brittle tone of voice.

n. [uncountable]

3. a kind of candy made of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled:
   She made peanut brittle.

brit•tle•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

brit•tle  (brit′l), adj., -tler, -tlest, n., v., -tled, -tling. 
adj. 

1. having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength;
   breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass.
2. easily damaged or destroyed;
   fragile;
   frail:
   a brittle marriage.
3. lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion;
   aloof;
   self-centered:
   a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person.
4. having a sharp, tense quality:
   a brittle tone of voice.
5. unstable or impermanent;
   evanescent.

n. 

6. a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled:
   peanut brittle.

v.i. 

7. to be or become brittle;
   crumble.

• Middle English britel, equivalent. to brit- (akin to Old English brysten fragment) + -el adjective, adjectival suffix 1350–1400

brit′tle•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. fragile. See frail ¹.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

brittle / ˈbrɪt^əl/ adjective

1. easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile
2. curt or irritable
3. hard or sharp in quality

noun

1. a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts: peanut brittle

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old English brytel (unattested); related to brytsen fragment, brēotan to break