brittlest

Adjective

brittle (comparative brittler or more brittle, superlative brittlest or most brittle)

1. Inflexible; liable to break, snap, or shatter easily under stress, pressure, or impact.
   • Near-synonyms: crackly, (technical) brash

   Synonyms:

   crackly, brash

   Antonyms:

   tough, pliable

2. Not physically tough or tenacious; apt to break or crumble when bending.
   • Shortbread is my favorite cold pastry, yet being so brittle it crumbles easily, and a lot goes to waste.
3. (minerals, etc) Tending to fracture in a conchoidal way; capable of being knapped or flaked.
4. Emotionally fragile, easily offended.
   • What a brittle person! A little misunderstanding and he's an emotional wreck.
5. Poorly error- or fault-tolerant; having little in the way of redundancy or defense in depth; susceptible to catastrophic failure in the event of a relatively-minor malfunction or deviance.
6. (informal, proscribed) Characterized by dramatic swings in blood sugar level.

See all 11 meanings of brittle