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.

A renowned theater director who has embarked on a kind of permanent vacation in his 60s, he continues: “I am wifeless, childless, brotherless, sisterless, I am my well-known self, made glittering and brittle by fame.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Confidence in the software sector is brittle and AI fears are dominating investor sentiment.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 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

Conservator Jonathan Carr said the Thetford find was made "from extremely thin sheets of metal which have become extremely brittle after 2,000 years in the ground".

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

In the cold of February it looked brittle and tight, and when I saw it I had a strange urge to throw a blanket over it and warm its insides.

From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant