like a candle in the wind

9.9

Something very fragile that people or events can easily destroy

idiom

: como una vela en el viento

Her confidence was like a candle in the wind during the interview.

Examples

Small businesses in the crisis were like a candle in the wind, struggling to survive.
Their hope for peace remained like a candle in the wind, flickering in difficult times.
After her illness, his optimism was like a candle in the wind, barely holding on.
The economy feels like a candle in the wind these days.
After her illness, his optimism felt like a candle in the wind, fragile and easily shaken by setbacks.
In the midst of the financial downturn, many small businesses found they were like a candle in the wind, at risk of vanishing.
Their dreams of a stable future were like a candle in the wind, flickering uncertainly with every challenge they faced.

Synonyms

fragile

vslike a candle in the wind

83 3.4

Easily broken or damaged because it is not strong

stresses vulnerability to outside forces rather than simple weakness

unstable

vslike a candle in the wind

80 4.4

Not steady and likely to change, fail, or fall

highlights being easily harmed by outside events rather than not being steady

destructible

vslike a candle in the wind

1 4.8

Easy to break or damage

focuses more on being harmed by outside causes than mere ability to be destroyed

candle in the wind

vslike a candle in the wind

Informal

9.1

A person or thing that is fragile and easily hurt by difficulties

emphasizes being easily damaged mainly by outside forces

fragile as a candle in the wind

vslike a candle in the wind

Literature

9.1

Easily hurt or upset in your feelings

is similar but focuses on harm caused specifically by external events

Antonyms

strong

∞ 1.0

Having great physical power or being solid enough to resist force

stable

473 2.3

Not likely to change and stays steady over time

How Fragile

like a candle in the wind

9.9

flimsy

25 3.8

fragile

83 3.4

delicate

188 3.8

sturdy

76 2.1

Surface Forms

like a candle in the wind main

Morphology

like + a + candle + in + the + wind

This is a straightforward simile: a candle threatened by wind evokes easily extinguished fragility. The meaning ('fragile, unstable, easily destroyed by external forces') is directly and predictably derived from the literal constituents ('candle' + 'wind' with the comparator 'like'), a cross-linguistically common image that a B1 learner who knows the words will grasp.

Etymology

Like a candle in the wind paints a picture of a small candle flame in a strong wind that flickers and can be blown out. So, it means 'fragile', 'unstable', or 'easily destroyed'.