Having become brittle, hard, and easily broken; in a state of reduced flexibility and increased fragility.
Past participle of 'embrittle,' describing the state resulting from the process of becoming brittle. This adjective form indicates a completed condition.
Old plastic becomes embrittled over time—the UV light breaks down the polymer chains, which is why old toys crack and crumble even though they're never used, a slow-motion material failure.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.