fragile
[ fraj-uhl; British fraj-ahyl ]
adjective
easily broken, shattered, or damaged; delicate; brittle; frail: a fragile ceramic container; a very fragile alliance.
vulnerably delicate, as in appearance: She has a fragile beauty.
lacking in substance or force; flimsy: a fragile excuse.
Origin of fragile
1synonym study For fragile
1. See frail1.
Other words from fragile
- frag·ile·ly, adverb
- fra·gil·i·ty [fruh-jil-i-tee], /frəˈdʒɪl ɪ ti/, frag·ile·ness, noun
- non·frag·ile, adjective
- non·frag·ile·ly, adverb
- non·frag·ile·ness, noun
- non·fra·gil·i·ty, noun
- o·ver·frag·ile, adjective
- un·frag·ile, adjective
Words that may be confused with fragile
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for fragile
fragile
/ (ˈfrædʒaɪl) /
adjective
able to be broken easily
in a weakened physical state
delicate; light: a fragile touch
slight; tenuous: a fragile link with the past
Origin of fragile
1C17: from Latin fragilis, from frangere to break
Derived forms of fragile
- fragilely, adverb
- fragility (frəˈdʒɪlɪtɪ) or fragileness, noun
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
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