Skrøbeligt

Skrøbeligt is a Danish adjective meaning fragile or delicate, describing something that is easily damaged, broken, or harmed. It can refer to physical objects such as glass, porcelain, or old buildings, as well as to non-physical conditions like health, reputation, or trust, which can be easily affected or compromised. In use, skrøbelig is the base form; skrøbeligt is the neuter singular form used with neuter nouns, for example et skrøbeligt vindue. In other gender agreements, the form is skrøbelig.

The term is also commonly employed metaphorically to characterize situations, relationships, or plans that are unstable or sensitive and require careful handling. For instance, a fragile labor market or a delicate diplomatic situation might be described as skrøbelig or skrøbeligt, depending on the grammatical context.

A related noun is skrøbelighed, which denotes fragility or vulnerability as a property or condition. The word appears across contexts from everyday description of materials to discussions of emotional or strategic steadiness, where the emphasis is on susceptibility to damage or disruption.

Skrøbeligt is widely understood in Danish and is part of everyday language when indicating care, precision, or caution in handling something that could be harmed or undermined by even small stresses. It contrasts with terms that imply durability or robustness, highlighting the spectrum of strength in objects, situations, and relations.