A:don't touch the jar its fragile.
why are you so fragile with me?
don't be fragile.
A:Glass is fragile, it breaks easily.
Fragile minds can be easily persuaded.
My heart is fragile and it suffers heartbreak easily.
The boy has fragile bones. A:"The vase was very old, very valuable and extremely fragile"
"While energetic as a youth, age had caught up with Diane, her bones were now brittle and fragile"
"The truce between the two countries was fragile, and the war could start again at any moment" A:Fragile is something that easily breaks, like porcelain or glass. It is weak because it is thin.
Careful! This wine glass is fragile!
Brittle is something solid that easily crumbles or disintegrates, like very old plastic that has been left in the sun, or old people's bones. It is weak because it is old and damaged.
Be gentle! This cloth is more than 100 years old, it will disintegrate if you're not careful. A: Yes. In some contexts they can convey the same idea, but they are not always used interchangeably.
For example:
"My grandma's health is fragile." Not "my grandma's health is vulnerable."
"Old people's health is vulnerable during flu season". Not "old people's health is fragile during flu season." A:The chair was old and fragile.
The relationship/marriage betweem my parents is fragile, I think they will divorce.
The lady had old brittle bones.
Things that are brittle can also be fragile, but things that are fragile are not always brittle. A:@K668499abcd: Fragile is a more extreme expression.
For example:
Glass is fragile.
The term delicate would not be used here because delicate is less 'extreme'.
It's like the difference between 'afraid' and 'scared out of my wits'. A:@SylviaLyu: Fragile refers to something that is easily broken.
For example:
"That pane of glass is really thin, it looks fragile."
Here, fragile is referring to something that is easily broken, in this case it's the pane of glass.
Alternatively it can also mean vulnerable. So it can be used to describe a person.
For example:
"Small, fragile old lady"
In this case 'Fragile' is to be taken as 'Vulnerable'. It means that she looks like someone who is at risk. In this case 'fragile' is also used to describe an elderly woman meaning they seem like someone in need of care.
Frail is typically used as an adjective to describe people.
For example:
"Small, frail body"
This implies that their body looks rather weak or delicate.
It can however, also be used to describe things/items.
For example:
"That house is made out of wood, so it looks quite frail"
Vulnerable suggests that someone is at risk of being attacked emotionally or physically.
For example:
"We were in a vulnerable situation"
Lastly, it can also be used to describe someone who is sick or elderly.
For example:
"This charity works with vulnerable adults."