Word
fragility
Phoneticsfragili·ty
US/fɹəˈdʒɪɫəti/
UK/fɹædʒˈɪlɪti/
Uncountable noun
Definition
n. the quality of being easily broken or damaged. It describes things that are not strong enough to survive a lot of pressure or stress.
n. the quality of being easily broken, damaged, or destroyed. Often used in technical contexts to describe the vulnerability of a system or the physical weakness of a material.
Examples
“The glass has a high level of fragility.”
“The engineer warned that the bridge's structural fragility could lead to a collapse during a major earthquake.”
“The company's market share is vulnerable to the fragility of its supply chain, which relies on a single port for all its raw materials.”
Examples
simple
“The glass has a high level of fragility.”
contextual
“The engineer warned that the bridge's structural fragility could lead to a collapse during a major earthquake.”
complex
“The company's market share is vulnerable to the fragility of its supply chain, which relies on a single port for all its raw materials.”
Real-World Examples
“The same fragility may also mean that many extinct reptiles and amphibians have disappeared from the fossil record entirely.” “Countries including China and the United States showed particularly high levels of systemic fragility.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French fragilité, from Latin fragilitās. Doublet of frailty. Morphologically fragile + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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