/ ˈfrædʒaɪl; NAmE -dʒl/ adjective
1.
easily broken or damaged :
fragile china / glass / bones
2.
weak and uncertain; easily destroyed or spoilt :
a fragile alliance / ceasefire / relationship
The economy remains extremely fragile.
3.
delicate and often beautiful :
fragile beauty
The woman's fragile face broke into a smile.
4.
not strong and likely to become ill / sick :
Her father is now 86 and in fragile health.
( BrE , informal )
I'm feeling a bit fragile after last night (= not well, perhaps because of drinking too much alcohol) .
► fra·gil·ity / frəˈdʒɪləti; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
the fragility of the human body
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WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent. (in the sense morally weak ): from Latin fragilis , from frangere to break. The sense liable to break dates from the mid 16th cent.