🔓 Able to open 💔 Easily broken

crackable

1 5.1

Likely to form small breaks in its surface when under stress, heat, or age

adjective
/ˈkrækəbl/

: quebradizo

The old ceramic vase was so crackable that it needed to be handled with extreme care.

Examples

If the paint is crackable, it may peel off the wall during the winter months.
After years in the sun, the plastic pipes became crackable and started to leak.
The old vase is crackable due to its age.
Is this material crackable under pressure?
The old plaster on the walls is so crackable that it chips away with the slightest pressure.
After years of exposure to sunlight, the plastic became crackable and started to break apart.
If you store these cookies in a humid environment, they will become stale and crackable.

Synonyms

brittle

vscrackable

33 3.9

Hard and likely to break

tends to form cracks rather than shatter immediately under stress

breakable

vscrackable

6 1.3

Easy to damage or fall into pieces

specifically forms fissures when stressed or aged rather than just being fragile

frangible

vscrackable

1 9.9

Easily broken or damaged

is less about instant breakage and more about gradual fissure formation

cracky

vscrackable

1 8.7

Having many thin broken lines on the surface or describing someone slightly odd

forms fissures gradually when exposed to stress temperature change or aging

fracturable

vscrackable

Specialized

7.6

Breaks when pressure is applied

develops cracks over time under stress rather than sudden break

Antonyms

stable

467 2.3

Not likely to change and stays steady over time

uncracked

1 3.4

Whole and with no breaks in the surface

How Brittle

brittle

33 3.9

fragile

45 3.4

crackable

1 5.1

stable

467 2.3

flexible

46 3.4

resilient

4 5.0

Surface Forms

crackable positive

Morphology

crackable = crack (transparent) = crack + able

The adjective is a regular formation from 'crack' + '-able', meaning 'liable to develop cracks', which is a straightforward adjectival derivation.

Etymology

Crackable comes from crack 'a break or line in something' and the ending -able 'can be done'. So it describes things that can form cracks or break when they are stressed, old, or hit by strong heat or cold.