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