Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of being firm but easily broken: Brittleness refers to the property of a material that is hard and inflexible yet prone to fracture, cracking, or snapping when subjected to stress, without significant deformation.

Usage

• Brittleness is a material property, often contrasted with flexibility or ductility. It describes how a substance reacts to force.
• It is commonly used in scientific, engineering, and everyday contexts to describe objects that are hard but not tough.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The brittleness of the old plastic made the toy shatter when it was dropped.
  • Glass is known for its transparency and its brittleness.
  • The extreme cold increased the brittleness of the metal.

Advanced Usage

• "Brittleness of spirit": A metaphorical use describing a fragile, inflexible, or easily broken state of mind or character.
  • The constant criticism led to a certain brittleness of spirit in the artist.

Variants and Related Words

• Brittle (adj): Having the quality of brittleness; easily broken.
  • Be careful with that vase; it's very brittle.
• Embrittlement (n): The process of becoming brittle.
  • Hydrogen embrittlement can weaken the structure of steel.

Synonyms

• Fragility: The quality of being easily broken or damaged.
• Friability: The tendency of a solid substance to break into smaller pieces under pressure or touch (often used for soils or rocks).
• Crispness: The quality of being firm, dry, and easily broken (often used for food, e.g., crackers).

Antonyms

• Flexibility: The quality of bending easily without breaking.
• Ductility: The ability of a material to be drawn out into a thin wire without breaking.
• Malleability: The ability of a material to be hammered or pressed into shape without breaking.
• Resilience: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Noun

1. firm but easily broken