fragile

fragile

fra‧gile /ˈfrædʒaɪl $ -dʒəl/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: fragilis; ⇨ ↑frail]
1. easily broken or damaged OPP strong:
Be careful with that vase – it’s very fragile.
fragile bones
2. a fragile situation is one that is weak or uncertain, and likely to become worse under pressure OPP strong:
the country’s fragile economy
Relations between the two countries are in a fragile state.
the party’s fragile unity
3. fragile health a weak physical condition because of illness
4. thin and delicate:
fragile beauty
5. British English if someone feels fragile they feel ill, especially because they have drunk too much alcohol
—fragility /frəˈdʒɪləti, frəˈdʒɪlɪti/ noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ fragile easily broken or damaged: The documents are old and very fragile. | a fragile glass case | The seventeenth century wall hangings are extemely fragile.
▪ delicate easily damaged – used especially about things that are made from thin material and look attractive: a delicate gold necklace | The plant has delicate blue flowers. | delicate fabrics
▪ brittle brittle hair, nails, bones etc have a hard surface, but they break easily, especially because they are not in good condition: As you get older, your bones become more brittle. | a special shampoo for dry and brittle hair
▪ breakable breakable objects must be handled carefully because they will break easily: Put breakable objects out of the reach of children. | breakable ornaments
▪ flimsy made of thin material that tears easily, or badly-made and likely to break easily: a flimsy cotton shirt | a flimsy wooden table
▪ frail especially literary not strong and therefore easy to break, damage, or hurt: The young trees are frail and need to be protected from the wind. | a frail little fishing boat | a frail old lady