friable

IPA/ˈfraɪəbl/
IPA/ˈfraɪəbl/

friable — adjective

  • friablepositive
  • friablercomparative
  • friablestsuperlative

1. describes a dry, brittle substance that breaks or crumbles into very small piece

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a dry, brittle substance that breaks or crumbles into very small pieces or powder when you press or rub it lightly

Example

Years of wind and rain made the sandstone wall near Vikram's house friable and crumbly.

become + friable (linking verb pattern)

Minho tapped the dry, friable soil from the orchid roots before repotting it.

collocation: friable soil

Common collocations
  • friable soil
  • friable rock
  • friable plaster
  • friable bones
  • friable material
  • friable texture
Synonyms
  • crumbly

    less formal and more common in everyday English; friable is the technical counterpart

  • brittle

    overlapping but describes breakage into hard, sharp pieces rather than crumbling into powder

  • powdery

    describes the resulting texture rather than the physical property of breaking apart easily

Antonyms
  • tough

    resists breaking or crumbling

  • firm

    does not yield to pressure or crumble

Grammar Patterns

friable + noun

become / be + friable

Usage Note

A formal or technical term. Most often found in geology (describing rock and soil), medicine (describing brittle bones), and cooking (describing crumbly pastry or cheese). Not used for materials that break into sharp shards, such as glass or ceramic — those are described as brittle rather than friable.

Common Mistakes

The glass window was friable after the accident.
The glass window shattered into sharp shards
friable describes materials that crumble into powder, not glass.' — friable only applies to substances that break into small fragments or powder when pressed.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe things that break easily, but they differ in how the breaking happens and what is left behind. Friable (C1, formal) specifically means a substance can be crumbled into small fragments or powder by light pressure — it is the go-to term in geology, soil science, and medicine for textures that disintegrate. Crumbly (B2, more informal) is the everyday equivalent for the same idea, commonly used for cookies, cheese, or old paint. Brittle (B2) describes materials that snap or shatter into sharp pieces rather than crumbling — think of glass, ice, or dry pasta. Fragile (B2) is the broadest term; it simply means easily damaged or broken without specifying the type of breakage. For example: 'The dry, friable soil was perfect for digging,' but 'The brittle icicle snapped in half with a sharp crack.'

friable ↗crumbly ↗brittle ↗fragile ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin friabilis (easily crumbled), from friare (to crumble, rub away). The word entered English through French in the mid-1500s and has been used in scientific and medical writing ever since.

First known use

1563

1563, in the meaning defined above