| 单词 | fragile |
| 释义 | fragile (once / 899 pages) adj 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. WORD FAMILYfragile: fragilely, fragiler, fragilest, fragility+/fragility: fragilities USAGE EXAMPLESWrap fragile ornaments in leftover tissue paper or newspaper, or invest in storage containers like archival ornament boxes from the Container Store. New York Times(Dec 23, 2016) Their chemistry was on display against fragile Watford on New Year’s Day. New York Times(Jan 02, 2017) But underlying Hamilton’s aggressive campaign for Jefferson was a fear that America’s democracy was too fragile to survive Burr’s ambition. Washington Post(Dec 30, 2016) 1adj easily broken or damaged or destroyed fragile porcelain plates fragile old bones Syn delicate, frail breakable capable of being broken or damaged 2adj vulnerably delicate she has the fragile beauty of youth Syn delicate exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury 3adj lacking substance or significance a fragile claim to fame Syn flimsy, slight, tenuous, thin insignificant, unimportant devoid of importance, meaning, or force |
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