Skrøbelige

Skrøbelige is a Danish adjective meaning fragile or delicate. It describes things that are easily damaged, such as glass or porcelain, as well as situations or people who are emotionally sensitive or easily affected. In usage, skrøbelige conveys a sense of fragility that often calls for careful handling or cautious treatment.

Grammatical notes: skrøbelig is the base form. Danish adjectives inflect for number and definiteness. Indefinite singular common gender uses skrøbelig; indefinite singular neuter uses skrøbeligt; indefinite plural uses skrøbelige. Definite forms are typically built with a determiner (such as den, det, or de) plus the adjective with an -e ending: den skrøbelige stol, det skrøbelige æg, de skrøbelige genstande. In practice, skrøbelige commonly appears before plural nouns or as a predicative adjective: Glasset er skrøbeligt; Disse forhold er skrøbelige.

Usage and nuance: skrøbelige is used for both physical fragility and figurative fragility. It can describe objects that require careful handling, fragile situations, or people who are emotionally sensitive. The term often carries a sense of precarity, suggesting that conditions are unstable and could easily change or fail.

Examples and context: et skrøbeligt glas (a fragile glass), en skrøbelig balance (a delicate balance), en skrøbelig forhandling (a fragile negotiation). In texts, skrøbelige frequently appears in discussions of safety, health, diplomacy, or art and architecture to emphasize vulnerability.

See also: sårbar (vulnerable), delikat (delicate). These related terms expand on different facets of fragility or sensitivity in Danish.