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Flimsy vs Brittle - What's the difference?

flimsy | brittle |

As adjectives the difference between flimsy and brittle

is that flimsy is likely to bend or break under pressure; weak, shaky, flexible, or fragile while brittle is inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under stress or pressure.

As nouns the difference between flimsy and brittle

is that flimsy is thin typing paper used to make multiple copies while brittle is a confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.

flimsy

English

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Likely to bend or break under pressure; weak, shaky, flexible, or fragile.
  • He expected the flimsy structure to collapse at any moment.
  • * Sheridan
  • All the flimsy furniture of a country miss's brain.

    Antonyms

    * robust * strong * sturdy

    Noun

    (flimsies)
  • Thin typing paper used to make multiple copies.
  • *1977 , , The Honourable Schoolboy , Folio Society 2010, p. 251:
  • *:Smiley peered once more at the flimsy which he still clutched in his pudgy hand.
  • (informal, in the plural) Skimpy underwear.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=October 25, author=Ruth La Ferla, title=Now It’s Nobody’s Secret, work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=Choosing lingerie “is about what makes you look good, but also what looks good with or through your clothing,” said Monica Mitro, a spokeswoman for Victoria’s Secret, the brand that catapulted racy flimsies into the public eye. }}

    brittle

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under stress or pressure.
  • Cast iron is much more brittle than forged iron.
    A diamond is hard but brittle .
  • * 1977 , , Penguin Classics, p. 329:
  • 'Do you suppose our convent, and I too, / Are insufficient, then, to pray for you? / Thomas, that joke's not good. Your faith is brittle .
  • 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.
  • (archaeology) Said of rocks and minerals with a conchoidal fracture; capable of being knapped or flaked.
  • Emotionally fragile, easily offended.
  • What a brittle personality! A little misunderstanding and he's an emotional wreck.
  • (informal, proscribed) Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Merck manual Diabetes that is characterized by dramatic swings in blood sugar level.
  • Noun

  • (uncountable) A confection of caramelized sugar and nuts.
  • As a child, my favorite candy was peanut brittle .
  • (uncountable) Anything resembling this confection, such as flapjack, a cereal bar, etc.
  • Synonyms

    * brickle

    See also

    * break, breakable * short (adjective)

    References

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    Anagrams

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