fra ‧ gile /ˈfrædʒaɪl $ -dʒ ə l/ 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.
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a fragile glass case
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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
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The plant has delicate blue flowers.
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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.
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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.
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breakable ornaments
▪ flimsy made of thin material that tears easily, or badly-made and likely to break easily:
a flimsy cotton shirt
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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.
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a frail little fishing boat
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a frail old lady