frangible
Syllables: fran·gi·ble/ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l/US/ˈfɹænd͡ʒəbəl/
frangible adjective: able to be broken; breakable, fragile.
Adjective
frangible (comparative more frangible, superlative most frangible)
- Able to be broken; breakable, fragile.
- A certain learned and curious Author gives us the following Characters or Properties of Glaſs, whereby it is diſtinguiſh'd from all other Bodies, viz. […] That it is frangible when thin, without annealing.1734, “GLASS”, in The Builder’s Dictionary: Or, Gentlemen and Architect’s Companion. Explaining not only the Term of Art in All the Several Parts of Architecture, but also Containing the Theory and...
- Another object still [of roasting iron ore], is to make the ore more frangible, that it may be easily broken into fragments of a suitable size for smelting.1838, W[illiam] W[illiams] Mather, “Iron Ore”, in First Annual Report on the Geological Survey of the State of Ohio, Columbus, Oh.: Samuel Medary, printer to the State, →OCLC, footnote, page 7
- Synonyms:
- fragmentable
Noun
frangible (plural frangibles)
- Something that is breakable or fragile; especially something that is intentionally made so, such as a bullet.
- For extreme close range training, frangible bullets – those that disintegrate on hitting a hard target – are available. I have found the Winchester frangible loads especially suitable to high-volume training with the 9mm pistol. Frangibles are intended to give peace officers real safety when...2009, Robert K. Campbell, “Practice Tools”, in Dan Shideler, editor, The Gun Digest Book of Personal Protection & Home Defense, Iola, Wis.: Gun Digest Books, →ISBN, page 201, column 2
- Is there some law of nature that states that an assassin can only use one kind of ammunition? Couldn't he just as easily load a frangible bullet and a nonfrangible one into his magazine as two frangibles or two regular, hardened rounds?2012, G. Paul Chambers, Head Shot: The Science behind the JFK Assassination, expanded edition, Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, →ISBN
frangible meaning in Tamil and Bengali
frangible in Tamil
- எளிதில் உடையும், நொறுங்கும், உடையக்கூடிய, எளிதில் உடையக்கூடிய, நொறுங்கத்தக்க
frangible in Bengali
- সহজে ভাঙা যায় এমন
Examples of frangible in a sentence
- A rigidly spoked umbrella, opening suddely in a small room, could seriously injure an adult or a child, or shatter a frangible object.1989, Charles Panati, “From Superstition”, in Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things (Perennial Library), New York, N.Y.: Harper...
- Shooting, after all, is a frangible skill.1998 March, Richard Marcinko, John Weisman, “Part Two: Trust but Verify”, in Destination Gold (Rogue Warrior), New York, N.Y.: Pocket...
- For extreme close range training, frangible bullets – those that disintegrate on hitting a hard target – are available.2009, Robert K. Campbell, “Practice Tools”, in Dan Shideler, editor, The Gun Digest Book of Personal Protection & Home Defense, Iola, Wis....
- Like other lethal-use frangibles, it is designed exclusively for use against soft targets.2013, Robert E. Walker, “Ammunition Cartridges”, in Cartridges and Firearm Identification (Advances in Materials Science and Engineering)...
Synonyms of frangible
Antonyms
Forms of frangible
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more frangible |
| superlative | most frangible |
| Noun | |
| plural | frangibles |
Origin of frangible
From Late Middle English frangible, frangibil, from Middle French frangible, or from Medieval Latin frangibilis, from Latin frangere (from frangō (“to break, shatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”)) + -ibilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon).
Words formed from frangible
- frangibility
- frangibleness
- frangibly
- infrangible
- nonfrangible
- unfrangible
Words that rhyme with frangible
Questions about frangible
- What does frangible mean?
- Frangible means able to be broken; breakable, fragile.
- What is frangible in Tamil?
- Frangible in Tamil is எளிதில் உடையும், நொறுங்கும், உடையக்கூடிய. See Frangible meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use frangible in a sentence?
- A rigidly spoked umbrella, opening suddely in a small room, could seriously injure an adult or a child, or shatter a frangible object.
- What part of speech is frangible?
- Frangible can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce frangible?
- Frangible is pronounced /ˈfɹæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l/ (UK).
Words near frangible in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: frangible (page history and authors); frangible (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); frangible (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-frangible.wav.
Cite this entry: “frangible.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/frangible. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.