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# brittle

adjective (brittle, brittler, brittlest — or more brittle); noun (brittle — a sweet, e.g. peanut brittle)

«brittle» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Brittle means hard but easily broken, snapping or cracking instead of bending: brittle glass, brittle bones, dry brittle leaves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#m1)
2. A brittle voice, laugh or mood sounds sharp and tense, as if it might break. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#m2)
3. Brittle (peanut brittle) is a hard sweet made of melted sugar with nuts in it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on materials, brittle is a property: glass, china, dry twigs and some plastics are brittle, while rubber is flexible and metals are often tough. Pupils test whether materials bend or snap. In health, calcium helps keep bones from getting brittle. Phrases: «brittle bones», «brittle hair», «peanut brittle».

### Examples

- Glass is hard but brittle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x1)
- The old plastic toy was brittle and cracked. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x2)
- Dry autumn leaves are brittle and crunchy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x3)
- Calcium stops your bones getting brittle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x4)
- Ice can be brittle and shatter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x5)
- Grandma's old letters were yellow and brittle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x6)
- Her laugh sounded brittle and nervous. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x7)
- We made peanut brittle at Christmas. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x8)
- It was built entirely of porcelain, and very costly, but so delicate and brittle that whoever touched it was obliged to be careful. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/#x9)

### Note

Opposites: flexible, bendy, tough. Trap: «hard» is not the same as «strong» — glass is hard but brittle. In materials tables, brittleness tells you what happens when the material is hit or bent.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «brittle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brittle/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«brittle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/brittle.html) on Mova free.