fragile implies extreme delicacy of material or construction and need for careful handling.
a fragile antique chair
frangible implies susceptibility to being broken without implying weakness or delicacy.
frangible stone used for paving
brittle implies hardness together with lack of elasticity or flexibility or toughness.
brittle bones
crisp implies a firmness and brittleness desirable especially in some foods.
crisp lettuce
friable applies to substances that are easily crumbled or pulverized.
friable soil
Examples of frangible in a Sentence
frangible china teacups that were totally inappropriate for a child's birthday party
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The barrier at the edge of the runway at Muan International Airport did not appear to be frangible, or have the ability to break apart, according to video footage and expert analysis, something investigators are likely to focus on.—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2024 Solid fences are safer today thanks to safety features like frangible pins and MIM clips that make a fence fall or collapse when hit.—Olivia Hampton, NPR, 5 June 2024 If the boat does not stop, the Interceptor pulls alongside and the agent fires with disintegrating frangible ammunition into the boat’s engine.—New York Times, 28 Jan. 2021 Nagel pumped the shotgun and chambered the first frangible round.—New York Times, 28 Jan. 2021 At 1,000 metres, a frangible bolt—which was supposed to detach explosively in the event of power loss to shed weight—broke off.—The Economist, 6 Sep. 2019 Now the team, led by Professor of Computer Vision Paul Rosin, is asking for more texts too fragile to be opened, hoping to ease the burden on historical researchers hesitant to examine the frangible objects.—Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, 4 Oct. 2018 Details needed to be worked out, such as a requirement that school guns fire only frangible bullets, which break apart into small pieces and are unlikely to pass through victims, as a way to limit the danger to innocent students.—Todd C. Frankel, Washington Post, 19 May 2018 Ascendance International was exhibiting its trademark frangible bullets with a full-auto AR-15.—Elliott Woods, The New Republic, 16 Apr. 2018
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin frangibilis, from Latin frangere "to break, shatter" + -ibilis-ible — more at break entry 1
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