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View synonyms for

fragile

[ fraj-uhl; British fraj-ahyl ]

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.



fragile

/ ˈfrædʒaɪl; frəˈdʒɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. able to be broken easily
  2. in a weakened physical state
  3. delicate; light

    a fragile touch

  4. slight; tenuous

    a fragile link with the past

“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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Derived Forms

  • ˈڰ, adverb
  • fragility, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ڰi· adverb
  • ڰ···ٲ [fr, uh, -, jil, -i-tee], ڰi·Ա noun
  • ԴDz·ڰi adjective
  • non·ڰi· adverb
  • non·ڰi·Ա noun
  • ԴDzЭ·i·ٲ noun
  • v·ڰi adjective
  • ܲ·ڰi adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fragile1

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin fragilis, equivalent to frag- (variant stem of the verb frangere break ) + -ilis -ile
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fragile1

C17: from Latin fragilis , from frangere to break
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Synonym Study

See frail 1.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The lesson — which applies in everything from forestry and urban planning to radically remaking government — is that monocultures that appear more efficient are actually far more fragile, more vulnerable and weaker than polycultures.

From

It has to mean less use of debt, because the use of debt in the economy just smoothes things over and makes systems fragile.

From

The WFP said the current Israeli blockade – the longest closure that Gaza has ever faced – had exacerbated already fragile markets and food systems.

From

He’s entirely buffered and his very, very fragile ego is being protected at all costs by people who need him and are using him.”

From

That alone makes this strike both brutal and symbolic: a calculated assault not just on lives, but on a fragile sense of normalcy the Indian state has worked hard to project in the disputed region.

From

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fragfragile X syndrome