Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

fragility

 - 5 dictionary results
Fragility
Shop & Save - Fragility Read Reviews on Fragility.
www.Shopping.com/Home_Furnishing

frag⋅ile

  [fraj-uhl; Brit. fraj-ahyl]
Use fragility in a Sentence
–adjective
1. easily broken, shattered, or damaged; delicate; brittle; frail: a fragile ceramic container; a very fragile alliance.
2. vulnerably delicate, as in appearance: She has a fragile beauty.
3. lacking in substance or force; flimsy: a fragile excuse.
Origin:
1505–15; < L fragilis, equiv. to frag- (var. s. of frangere to break ) + -ilis -ile

Related forms:
frag⋅ile⋅ly, adverb
fra⋅gil⋅i⋅ty  [fruh-jil-i-tee] , frag⋅ile⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See frail 1 .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fragility
Fragility
Shop & Save - Fragility Read Reviews on Fragility.
www.Shopping.com/Home_Furnishing
frag·ile   (frāj'əl, -īl')   
adj.  

  1. Easily broken, damaged, or destroyed; frail.

  2. Lacking physical or emotional strength; delicate.

  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: 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 Synonyms at weak.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

fragility 
1398, "moral weakness," from O.Fr. fragilité, from L. fragilitatem (nom. fragilitas) "brittleness," from fragilis "brittle, easily broken," from root of frangere "to break" (see fraction). Meaning "easily broken" first recorded in Eng. 1474. Fragile is 1513 as "liable to sin;" 1607 as "liable to break."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fra·gil·i·ty
Pronunciation: fr&-'jil-&t-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: thequality or state of being easily broken or destroyed fragility in the thrombocytopenic patient —F. H. Gardner & R. E. Helmer> —frag·ile /'fraj-&l, -"Il/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

fragility fra·gil·i·ty (frə-jĭl'ĭ-tē)
n.
The quality or state of being easily broken or destroyed.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see fragility on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way