brittle

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One problem, though: Untreated rubber becomes brittle when exposed to cold, and tacky and runny when hot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

"This makes the tendons more brittle and impairs their mechanical function," explains Greta Moschini, a doctoral student in De Bock and Snedeker's groups and lead author of the study.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

Running her hand through her brittle white hair, she mimed heating water on a gas stove to wash herself in the cold mornings.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

We move in a familiar loop: outrage at dysfunction, ritualized critique, then a quiet hope that the same brittle systems will somehow stabilize themselves when the stakes get high.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

Cho-chup! went the pestle into the mortar, crushing the brittle chillies and the seeds in them.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya