fragility
Tendency to shatter
Fragility is the quality of being easily broken, damaged, or destroyed.
Glass has physical fragility; a ceasefire has political fragility.
The word often extends beyond the material to describe vulnerability in relationships, mental states, or systems: the fragility of trust, emotional fragility.
When applied to people, it can suggest delicacy requiring careful handling, though it sometimes carries a dismissive edge, implying excessive sensitivity.
Deficiency in force
- frailtyWeakness of body
- delicacyRefined sensitivity or rarity
- infirmityWeakness from illness or age
- feeblenessLack of strength
debility · tenuousness · unsteadiness · shakiness · atrophy · deterioration · aging · convalescence
Capable of shattering
- shatterFragment violently, suddenly
- crackNarrow break or attempt
- splinterThin sharp fragment
- crumbleFragment gradually
snap · friable · crackable · smashable · fragmentation · hairline · chip · flake
Refined sensitivity or rarity
- gossamerFilmy, delicate material
- diaphanousDelicately translucent
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- wispyThin and insubstantial
sheer · fine · filigree · lace · cobweb · tracery · translucent · featherlight
Brevity of existence
- ephemeralityCondition of being brief
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- temporaryLimited in duration
evanescent · short-lived · passing · fading · vanishing · withering · decaying · dissolving
Openness to harm
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
- tendernessGentle, caring quality
- rawnessUnrefined or exposed state
- woundednessState of being injured
defenselessness · openness · exposure · susceptibility · hurt · tears · breakdown · overwhelm
Tendency toward unpredictable change
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- riskPossibility of harm
- volatilityRapid, unpredictable changeability
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
teetering · wobbly · shaky · unsteady · rickety · perilous · hazardous · tenuous
weakness
Deficiency in force
feebleness · debility · tenuousness · unsteadiness · shakiness · atrophy · deterioration · aging · convalescence · osteoporosis
breakable
Capable of shattering
crumble · snap · friable · crackable · smashable · fragmentation · hairline · chip · flake · porcelain
delicacy
Refined sensitivity or rarity
- gossamerFilmy, delicate material
- diaphanousDelicately translucent
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
wispy · sheer · fine · filigree · lace · cobweb · tracery · translucent · featherlight · papery
transience
Brevity of existence
- ephemeralityCondition of being brief
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
temporary · evanescent · short-lived · passing · fading · vanishing · withering · decaying · dissolving · melting
vulnerability
Openness to harm
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
- tendernessGentle, caring quality
- rawnessUnrefined or exposed state
woundedness · defenselessness · openness · exposure · susceptibility · hurt · tears · breakdown · overwhelm · insecurity
instability
Tendency toward unpredictable change
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- riskPossibility of harm
- volatilityRapid, unpredictable changeability
unpredictability · teetering · wobbly · shaky · unsteady · rickety · perilous · hazardous · tenuous · balance
- illnessdisease, sickness, illness, ailment, disorder
- weaknessweakness, feebleness, frailty, debility, asthenia
- flawsfaults, defect, flaw, blemish, flaws
- instabilityinstability, unsteadiness, shakiness, wobbliness, precariousness
- personality traitsextraversion, agreeableness, introvert, neuroticism, temperament
- propertiessize, shape, color, height, width
fragilitydurability
Resistance to wear
sturdiness · robustness · strength · toughness · solidity
fragilityresilience
Capacity to recover quickly
antifragility · robustness · stability · adaptability · flexibility