as in brittle
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
a crumbly shortbread cookie
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Recent Examples of crumbly
The swirl is described as having a crumbly cookie-butter texture, expected to evoke the same satisfaction as a bite of the cookie itself.
—
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for crumbly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbly
Adjective
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Editors’ Picks Darren Criss Does the Robot Image Throughout her career, Ms. Sagan was defiant, facing interviewers with a brittle sophistication.—
Sadie Stein,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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Tectonics refers to the processes that deform a rocky planet’s brittle outer shell.—
Elise Cutts,
Scientific American,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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The overall audio quality doesn't disappoint either with deep bass and crisp highs.—
Cierra Cowan,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2025
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Ask for extra refrigerator pickles on the side, which are crisp, refreshing, and singularly spicy.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbly. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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