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Glite Dictionary
to embrittle

to embrittle

9.1
To make something more likely to break
  • verb
  • /ɛmˈbrɪtəl/
translation icon : vulnerar

Examples

  • It also should not dissolve, swell, or embrittle the elastomers and plastics used in the valve seals and motor components.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Parenti: They're old and they're rickety, and radiation embrittles metal, and most of the crucial components in nuke plants are made of metal.

    Blog text (25)

  • They also have chemically active components that can embrittle seals, corrode soft metal surfaces, and leach lead, tin, and copper from bearing steel alloys.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The harsh chemicals can embrittle the plastic, making it easier to break.

  • Over time, exposure to sunlight can embrittle rubber materials, causing them to crack.

  • Excessive heat may embrittle certain metals, reducing their durability and strength.

Synonyms

to brittle
vsto embrittle
7.8

Make something hard and likely to break

is more specific meaning it becomes fragile not merely hard

Antonyms

to strengthen
327 3.0

To make muscles, relationships, or groups stronger

to toughen
15 3.9

To make a person or thing stronger so it can handle hard situations

Surface Forms

embrittle infinitive
embrittled past
embrittled past participle
embrittling present participle
embrittles third person singular

Morphology

embrittle = brittle (transparent) = em + brittle

The verb is formed by the productive causative prefix 'em-' (en- before labials) added to 'brittle', so learners who know 'brittle' can infer 'to make brittle'.

Etymology

Embrittle comes from the prefix em- meaning 'make' and the word brittle meaning 'easily broken'. So to embrittle something is to 'make it likely to break'.