fragile as a candle in the wind
- idiom
- Literature
- Their newfound peace was fragile as a candle in the wind, easily threatened by old arguments.
Examples
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She felt fragile as a candle in the wind after the stressful week.
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The delicate vase on the shelf was fragile as a candle in the wind and could break at any moment.
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After hearing the criticism, his self-esteem was fragile as a candle in the wind.
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Don't be so fragile as a candle in the wind!
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Her emotions are fragile as a candle in the wind.
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After facing constant setbacks, he realized his confidence was fragile as a candle in the wind.
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Her health felt fragile as a candle in the wind after the illness, requiring careful attention.
Synonyms
142
3.9
Easily hurt or upset and needing careful handling
129
3.8
Easily broken and needing gentle care
58
4.1
Being physically weak and breaking easily
33
3.9
Hard and likely to break
1
9.1
A person or thing that is fragile and easily hurt by difficulties
1
9.9
Something very fragile that people or events can easily destroy
1
9.1
Breaks easily into small pieces
Antonyms
How Fragile
Surface Forms
Morphology
fragile + as + a + candle + in + the + wind
The phrase is a straightforward simile: combining 'candle' and 'wind' evokes the literal image of a flame easily blown out, which directly maps onto being very delicate or vulnerable. This compositional imagery follows common cross-linguistic metaphorical patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can reliably infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Fragile as a candle in the wind uses the picture of a small candle flame that a sudden wind can easily blow out, so it means 'very easy to hurt or destroy'.