as in brittle
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
a crumbly shortbread cookie
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crumbly
Watch for pedestal logs, remnants of ancient trees perched atop a crumbly stand of thick clay as if on display.
—
Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Exactly these few curbless, bleached, and crumbly asphalt streets that curl back on themselves or run on out into the prairie.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The hard cheese has a tangy flavor and slightly crumbly texture, and combines the best of two popular cheeses.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Dec. 2025
Even better, the mattes are richly pigmented and easy to blend, so there's none of that dry, crumbly fallout.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Exactly these few curbless, bleached, and crumbly asphalt streets that curl back on themselves or run on out into the prairie.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The hard cheese has a tangy flavor and slightly crumbly texture, and combines the best of two popular cheeses.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Dec. 2025
Even better, the mattes are richly pigmented and easy to blend, so there's none of that dry, crumbly fallout.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbly
Adjective
-
Time draws these kids osmotically through a membrane, turning them into things like us, adults captured by the brittle carapaces of our egos.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
As a result, the product hardens, strengthens, and smooths brittle, peeling nails.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The V-neck, polo-style collar, crisp white buttons, and rust-orange hue give it a refined yet approachable feel.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Women in crisp, white blouses and stylish glasses sip on their complimentary check-in margaritas while their husbands in loafers, jeans, and blue blazers wheel their bags into the library to catch a peek at the 3,700-volume collection.—
Diana Oates,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Those unregulated hazardous substances include liquid waste, friable, asbestos wastes and combustion wastes.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Texture comes into play here, as well, with wispy nests of friable katayifi topping each scallop.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbly. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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