brittle

brittle adj

ME < OE < Germanic 'to break'.

  1. Fragile; delicate; easily broken; not tough; physically weak; [fig.] insecure; vulnerable; mortal; subject to death.
  2. Elite; snobbish; temperamental; particular; fussy; finicky; persnickety; dainty; fastidious; high-strung; overly refined; easily disturbed.
  3. Tenuous; feeble; insubstantial.
  4. Frayed; frazzled; unraveling; coming apart; not tenacious.
  5. Unpredictable; erratic; [fig.] aimless; drifting; floating; mercurial; quicksilver.
  6. Unstable; unsteady; shifting; structurally weak; [fig.] dubious; doubtful; tentative; provisional.