What does embrittled mean?
Embrittled means made hard and liable to break or fracture suddenly, especially during the manufacture or use of metals and other materials. It is most common in engineering and metallurgy, where heat treatment, hydrogen contamination, radiation, stress, or improper processing can reduce a material's toughness without necessarily changing its appearance. An embrittled component may remain strong under steady loading yet crack suddenly when subjected to a shock or concentrated stress. The word can also be applied figuratively to people, institutions, or systems that have become rigid and unable to adapt. In that broader sense, embrittled often suggests that flexibility and resilience have been lost through excessive restriction, pressure, or neglect. Derived from the verb embrittle, the term is related to brittle but describes a material or system that has undergone a damaging change.
Made hard and prone to fracture, especially by a damaging metallurgical process; figuratively, made rigid or less adaptable.
"The embrittled steel cracked under stress."
The technical sense is dominant in metallurgy and engineering; the figurative sense is less common.
To make a material hard and liable to fracture; figuratively, to make something rigid or resistant to change.
"Prolonged hydrogen exposure embrittled the steel."
Usually transitive and technical, though it can also occur in figurative descriptions of institutions or systems.
Steel can be made harder—and embrittled—in the same heat treatment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does embrittled come from?
The verb embrittle was formed in the 19th century from brittle with the prefix em-, meaning to cause something to enter a particular state. Brittle developed from Middle English britel and ultimately from Old English brēotan, associated with breaking or shattering. The related noun embrittlement and the earlier root form brittle continue the same semantic history.
Related word forms
How embrittled is actually used
The primary use is technical, especially in metallurgy, materials science, and engineering. Its figurative use is less frequent and generally conveys undesirable rigidity or loss of adaptability.
Easily confused with embrittled
Brittle describes a material's inherent tendency to break or fracture, whereas embrittled describes a material that has been made or rendered prone to such failure.