From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfragilefra‧gile /ˈfrædʒaɪl $ -dʒəl/ ●●○ adjective 1 WEAKeasily broken or damaged OPP strong Be careful with that vase – it’s very fragile. fragile bones► see thesaurus at weak2 WEAKa fragile situation is one that is weak or uncertain, and likely to become worse under pressure OPP strong the country’s fragile economy Relations between the two countries are in a fragile state. the party’s fragile unity3 → fragile health4 thin and delicate fragile beauty5 WEAK British English if someone feels fragile they feel ill, especially because they have drunk too much alcohol —fragility /frəˈdʒɪləti/ noun [uncountable]THESAURUSfragile easily broken or damagedThe documents are old and very fragile. a fragile glass case The seventeenth century wall hangings are extremely fragile.delicate easily damaged – used especially about things that are made from thin material and look attractivea delicate gold necklaceThe plant has delicate blue flowers.delicate fabrics brittle brittle hair, nails, bones etc have a hard surface, but they break easily, especially because they are not in good conditionAs you get older, your bones become more brittle.a special shampoo for dry and brittle hair breakable breakable objects must be handled carefully because they will break easilyPut breakable objects out of the reach of children.breakable ornamentsflimsy made of thin material that tears easily, or badly-made and likely to break easilya flimsy cotton shirt a flimsy wooden tablefrail especially literary not strong and therefore easy to break, damage, or hurtThe young trees are frail and need to be protected from the wind.a frail little fishing boat a frail old lady
Examples from the Corpus
fragile• It is life sculpted by extreme and hostile conditions, life that is fragile and all but unknown.• They are often shy, fragile, and preoccupied with feelings of self-doubt.• This is an environmentally fragile area.• These people can take many blows, but I, I am fragile as a butterfly.• Perhaps the world has never seen a power as fragile as that of the imam.• Two ambulance attendants picked up his fragile body and put him carefully onto a stretcher.• The area also has a range of fragile eco-systems and rare plants including button grass, alpine meadow and snow gum.• Sandra knew just what to say to protect Mike's fragile ego.• This was Abba's tour de force, a brilliantly structured melodrama which put Faltskog's fragile, emotional vocal centre stage.• It could do considerable damage if it happened to hit some of the more fragile equipment.• The parcel was marked FRAGILE -- HANDLE WITH CARE.• Ed's already fragile health deteriorated after he left the hospital.• The baby felt so fragile in his arms.• And in her heart she allowed hope to blossom into fragile life again.• The museum sends fragile porcelain objects to specialists to be restored.fragile economy• The revolution deterred visitors to Madeira and adversely affected the already fragile economy.Origin fragile (1400-1500) Latin fragilis; → FRAIL 