crumbly
Falls apart easily
Crumbly describes something that breaks apart easily into small fragments or crumbs.
Dry soil is crumbly.
Aged cheese is crumbly.
A crumbly cookie scatters pieces when you bite it.
The word implies a pleasant brittleness in food but can suggest deterioration in other contexts: The old mortar had gone crumbly with age.
Crumbly or unreliable
- granularMade of tiny particles
- powderyReduced to fine particles
- mealyPowdery in texture
- grittyCoarse or courageous
sandy · coarse · lumpy · chunky · friable · dusty · grainy · pebbly
Reducing length or duration
- butterSolid fat from cream
- lardClarified pork fat
- flourMilled grain powder
- doughFlour-liquid mixture for baking
pastry · tender · flaky · laminated · biscuit · scone · pie crust · streusel
Readily reduced to fragments
- loamFertile soil mixture
- humusDecayed organic soil matter
- topsoilNutrient-rich surface earth
- compostDecayed organic fertilizer
mulch · peat · arable · cultivable · sandy · silt · organic · aerate
Brined Greek cheese
- shortbreadButtery, crumbly biscuit
- cornbreadQuick bread from maize
- biscuitSmall baked quick bread
- sconeSmall crumbly teatime bread
streusel · queso fresco · cotija · crackers · pastry · pie crust · cookie · crouton
Process of declining quality
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
- erosionGradual wearing away
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- rotOrganic breakdown process
decomposition · degradation · corrosion · oxidation · decrepitude · ruin · dilapidation · wear
flaky
Crumbly or unreliable
gritty · sandy · coarse · lumpy · chunky · friable · dusty · grainy · pebbly · crunchy
shortening
Reducing length or duration
dough · pastry · tender · flaky · laminated · biscuit · scone · pie crust · streusel · sandy
friable
Readily reduced to fragments
compost · mulch · peat · arable · cultivable · sandy · silt · organic · aerate · porous
feta
Brined Greek cheese
- shortbreadButtery, crumbly biscuit
- cornbreadQuick bread from maize
- biscuitSmall baked quick bread
scone · streusel · queso fresco · cotija · crackers · pastry · pie crust · cookie · crouton · parmesan
deterioration
Process of declining quality
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
- erosionGradual wearing away
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
rot · decomposition · degradation · corrosion · oxidation · decrepitude · ruin · dilapidation · wear · atrophy
plaster
Wall-coating paste
stone · masonry · stucco · chalk · limestone · sandstone · shale · cement · grout · render
- bread qualitiesfresh, stale, soft, crusty, crispy
- bread texturescrusty, soft, chewy, fluffy, dense
- dessert qualitiessweet, creamy, rich, decadent, indulgent
- texturessmoothness, smooth, soft, rough, roughness
- cheese descriptionssharp, mild, aged, nutty, tangy
- cheese termssharpness, nutty, tangy, pungent, paste
- bread crumbsDried, ground loaf pieces
- apple crumbleBaked fruit under streusel
- cookie crumbsBroken treat fragments
- cake crumbsTiny baked-good pieces
- crumb cakePastry with crumbly topping
- crumb toppingTextured baked-good coating
crumb, crumble, crumbs, crumbling, crumbled, crumbles, crumbed, crumbliness, crumblier