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fragile

/ˈfrædʒəl/

/ˈfrædʒaɪl/

Other forms: fragilely; fragilest; fragiler

If it's delicate and easily broken, like a rare glass vase or the feelings of an overly emotional friend, it's certainly fragile.

Back in the 1500s, fragile implied moral weakness. Then around 1600, its definition broadened to mean “liable to break.” It wasn’t until the 19th century that the word started to mean “frail” and was used to describe people. Today we use it to describe things like spider webs, unstable political systems, and insecure egos. Synonyms include flimsy, vulnerable, and brittle.

Definitions of fragile
  1. adjective
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    fragile porcelain plates”
    fragile old bones”
    synonyms: delicate, frail
    breakable
    capable of being broken or damaged
  2. adjective
    vulnerably delicate
    “she has the fragile beauty of youth”
    Synonyms:
    delicate
    exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
  3. adjective
    lacking substance or significance
    “a fragile claim to fame”
    synonyms: flimsy, slight, tenuous, thin
    insignificant, unimportant
    devoid of importance, meaning, or force
Pronunciation
US

/ˈfrædʒəl/

UK

/ˈfrædʒaɪl/

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘fragile'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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