frag·ile
(frăj́əl, -īĺ)
[French, from Old French, from Latin fragilis, from frangere, frag-, to break.]
adjective
- Easily broken, damaged, or destroyed; frail.
- Lacking physical or emotional strength; delicate.
- Lacking substance; tenuous or flimsy: a fragile claim to fame.
derivatives
- fraǵile·ly
- adverb
- fra·giĺi·ty
- noun
synonyms:
fragile, breakable, frangible, delicate, 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 artifacts. Delicate refers to what is so soft, tender, or fine as to be susceptible to injury: delicate fruit. Brittle refers to inelasticity that makes something especially likely to fracture or snap when it is subjected to pressure: brittle bones.- See also: weak
