as in brittle
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
a crumbly shortbread cookie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crumbly
Using 2 forks, cut in 1/2 cup of the cold butter until mixture is crumbly.
—
Hannah Taylor, Southern Living, 24 Jan. 2025
Lentils and couscous are two great components (as are barley and bulgur), which, with some egg to bind everything, give you the crumbly texture that ground meat normally does.
—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
If your pecan sandies are crumbly, they're meant to be!
—Micah A Leal, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2024
The hamper also comes with two bottles of wine and a selection of sweet treats – the chocolate truffles and crumbly biscuits with walnuts and raisins were delicious.
—Irenie Forshaw, The Week Uk, theweek, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Hannah Taylor, Southern Living, 24 Jan. 2025
Lentils and couscous are two great components (as are barley and bulgur), which, with some egg to bind everything, give you the crumbly texture that ground meat normally does.
—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
If your pecan sandies are crumbly, they're meant to be!
—Micah A Leal, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2024
The hamper also comes with two bottles of wine and a selection of sweet treats – the chocolate truffles and crumbly biscuits with walnuts and raisins were delicious.
—Irenie Forshaw, The Week Uk, theweek, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbly
Adjective
-
Osteoporosis causes the bones to become incredibly brittle.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
-
If polyethylene and polypropylene aren’t completely separated during recycling, the resulting mix can be brittle and generally unusable for creating new products.—
Alex Jordan,
The Conversation,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s an elegant severity to the natural elements that share the frame with the movie’s characters, manifested in silhouettes against vast cloudy skies, delicate snowfalls, shafts of light in dark interiors and crisp air filled with smoke and dust.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2025
-
The All-American Mom Patz & Hall North Coast Brut Sparkling, CA: A crisp and zesty expression of 100% Chardonnay from cool climate vineyards.—
Katie Kelly Bell,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbly. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share