| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024brit•tle /ˈbrɪtəl/USA pronunciation adj., -tler, -tlest, n. adj. - having hardness and stiffness but breaking easily;
easily damaged;
frail:brittle icicles. - having a sharp, tense quality;
lacking friendliness;
cold: a brittle tone of voice.
n. [uncountable] - a kind of candy made of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled: She made peanut brittle.
brit•tle•ness, n. [uncountable] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024brit•tle (brit′l),USA pronunciation adj., -tler, -tlest, n., v., -tled, -tling. adj. - having hardness and rigidity but little tensile strength;
breaking readily with a comparatively smooth fracture, as glass. - easily damaged or destroyed;
fragile;
frail:a brittle marriage. - lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion;
aloof;
self-centered:a self-possessed, cool, and rather brittle person. - having a sharp, tense quality:a brittle tone of voice.
- unstable or impermanent;
evanescent.
n. - a confection of melted sugar, usually with nuts, brittle when cooled:peanut brittle.
v.i. - to be or become brittle;
crumble.
- Middle English britel, equivalent. to brit- (akin to Old English brysten fragment) + -el adjective, adjectival suffix 1350–1400
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged fragile. See frail 1.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: brittle /ˈbrɪtəl/ adj - easily cracked, snapped, or broken; fragile
- curt or irritable
- hard or sharp in quality
n - a crunchy sweet made with treacle and nuts: peanut brittle
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old English brytel (unattested); related to brytsen fragment, brēotan to break |