好词典

brittle

UK //ˈbrɪt(ə)l//US //ˈbrɪtl//

词源

源自中古英语 'britel',与古英语 'bryttian'(意为“破碎”)相关,可能受到古诺尔斯语 'brot'(意为“碎片”)的影响。

adjective

❶ 形容物体硬但易碎,缺乏韧性,受到压力或冲击时容易断裂或破碎。

“The old plastic became brittle and cracked easily.”

(旧塑料变得很脆,很容易裂开。)

“Be careful with that glass—it's very brittle.”

(小心那个玻璃杯——它非常易碎。)

❶ 形容人或态度冷淡、易怒或缺乏耐心,容易因小事而生气或情绪失控。

“His brittle temper made it hard to work with him.”

(他脾气暴躁,很难和他共事。)

“She gave a brittle laugh, clearly not amused.”

(她冷冷地笑了一声,显然并不觉得有趣。)

同义词:fragile, breakable, crisp, delicate, frail

noun

❶ 一种硬而脆的糖果,通常由糖和坚果制成,冷却后会变脆。

“She made peanut brittle for the holiday party.”

(她为节日聚会做了花生糖。)

“The brittle shattered when he tried to cut it.”

(当他试图切脆糖时,糖碎成了小块。)

同义词:toffee, praline, nougat

常见短语

brittle bones — 指骨骼脆弱,容易骨折,通常与骨质疏松等健康问题相关。

“Older people often suffer from brittle bones due to calcium deficiency.”

(老年人常因缺钙而骨骼脆弱。)

brittle voice — 形容声音尖锐、颤抖或缺乏温暖,通常因紧张、愤怒或情绪激动导致。

“Her brittle voice betrayed her nervousness during the speech.”

(她尖锐的声音暴露了演讲时的紧张。)