fragile adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of fragile adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

fragile

adjective
 
/ˈfrædʒaɪl/
 
/ˈfrædʒl/
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  1. easily broken or damaged
    • fragile china/glass/bones
    • Be careful not to drop it; it’s very fragile.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • become
    • feel
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  2. weak and uncertain; easy to destroy or harm
    • a fragile alliance/ceasefire/relationship
    • The economy remains extremely fragile.
    • In her job she was used to dealing with actors’ fragile egos.
    • fragile habitats threatened by pollution
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • become
    • feel
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  3. thin or light and often beautiful
    • fragile beauty
    • The woman's fragile face broke into a smile.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • become
    • feel
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  4. not strong and likely to become ill
    • Her father is now 86 and in fragile health.
    • (British English, informal) I'm feeling a bit fragile after last night (= not well, perhaps because of drinking too much alcohol).
    Topics Health problemsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • become
    • feel
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  5. Word Originlate 15th cent. (in the sense ‘morally weak’): from Latin fragilis, from frangere ‘to break’. The sense ‘liable to break’ dates from the mid 16th cent.
See fragile in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee fragile in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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