brittleness
Tendency to shatter
Brittleness is the quality of being brittle—hard but easily broken or shattered.
Glass and dry pasta have brittleness; they snap rather than bend.
The term extends to anything fragile or easily disrupted: the brittleness of a diplomatic alliance, the brittleness of someone's composure.
In materials science, brittleness contrasts with ductility—brittle materials fracture under stress rather than deforming.
Fragment violently, suddenly
- fractureSplit in hard material
- splinterThin sharp fragment
- snapSudden sharp sound
- crumbleFragment gradually
crack · fragment · disintegrate · chip · rupture · shards · breakage · splintering
Breaking with sound
- crispyBrittle and snapping
- cracklyMaking small sharp sounds
- flakyCrumbly or unreliable
- crumblyProne to fragmenting
snappy · crackling · crunch · crackle · snap · dry · papery · wafer-thin
Transparent solid from sand
- ceramicFired clay material
- iceWater's solid form
- boneHard skeletal tissue
- chalkSoft sedimentary writing stone
eggshell · porcelain · cast iron · candy · toffee · tempered · crystalline · calcified
Ease of breaking
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- susceptibilityLiability to influence
- precariousnessState of uncertain stability
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
delicacy · sensitivity · tenuousness · perishability · frailty · flimsiness
Excessive stretching force
- hardnessResistance to penetration
- elasticityTendency to resume original form
- ductilityAbility to stretch unbroken
- plasticityAbility to change shape
deformation · tensile · stress · fatigue · impact resistance · shear · modulus · embrittlement
Quality of being unbending
- stiffnessResistance to deformation
- inelasticityInability to stretch back
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- hardnessResistance to penetration
unbending · firmness · resistance · solidity · unforgiving
shatter
Fragment violently, suddenly
crumble · crack · fragment · disintegrate · chip · rupture · shards · breakage · splintering · frangible
crunchy
Breaking with sound
crumbly · snappy · crackling · crunch · crackle · snap · dry · papery · wafer-thin · delicate
glass
Transparent solid from sand
chalk · eggshell · porcelain · cast iron · candy · toffee · tempered · crystalline · calcified · desiccated
fragility
Ease of breaking
- weaknessDeficiency in force
- susceptibilityLiability to influence
- precariousnessState of uncertain stability
instability · delicacy · sensitivity · tenuousness · perishability · frailty · flimsiness
strain
Excessive stretching force
- hardnessResistance to penetration
- elasticityTendency to resume original form
- ductilityAbility to stretch unbroken
plasticity · deformation · tensile · stress · fatigue · impact resistance · shear · modulus · embrittlement
inflexibility
Quality of being unbending
- stiffnessResistance to deformation
- inelasticityInability to stretch back
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
hardness · unbending · firmness · resistance · solidity · unforgiving
- hairhair, haircut, hairstyle, hair loss, coily
- propertiessize, shape, color, height, width
- propiedadesmasa, peso, color, brillo, hardness
- texturessmoothness, smooth, soft, rough, roughness
- vulnerabilityvulnerability, vulnerable, defenselessness, defenseless, helplessness
- bone traitsdense, porous, hollow, thick, thin
brittlenessductility
Ability to stretch unbroken
pliability · flexibility · malleability · plasticity · bendability
brittlenesstoughness
Resilient durability under strain
durability · strength · resilience · solidity · hardiness
brittlenessresilience
Capacity to recover quickly
adaptability · flexibility · toughness · robustness · antifragility