brittleness Definition

brittle
adj brittler, brittlest

1. Said of a substance: hard but easily broken or likely to break.

Thesaurus: delicate, fragile, frail, breakable, friable, crumbly.
2. Sharp or hard in quality.

Example: a brittle laugh
3. Said of a condition or state, etc: difficult to keep stable or controlled; fragile, easily damaged or disrupted.

Example: a brittle relationship
Example: a brittle diabetic

noun

brittles
1. A type of hard crunchy toffee made from caramelized sugar and nuts.

Derivative: brittlely
adverb

Derivative: brittleness
noun

Etymology: 14c as britul, from Anglo-Saxon breotan to break in pieces.