bräcklig

Bräcklig is a Swedish adjective meaning fragile or easily broken. It can describe physical objects that are susceptible to damage, such as glass or ice, as well as situations or conditions that are delicate or precarious.

It is formed from the stem bräck- with the common adjectival suffix -lig; the related noun is bräcklighet, meaning fragility. The term is used across concrete and abstract domains: en bräcklig konstruktion, en bräcklig fred, or en bräcklig ekonomisk situation.

The word often conveys a sense of vulnerability or sensitivity to stress, but without attributing blame. It can be neutral in tone, though in some contexts it implies caution or the need for careful handling, reinforcement, or stabilization. Bräcklig can be applied to material properties as well as to social, political, or economic conditions.

Synonyms include spröd and skör, while context-dependent antonyms might include stark eller tålig. The concept is widely used in discussions of materials science (brittleness) as well as in analyses of fragile peace, fragile economies, or other unstable states. In Swedish usage, bräcklig is a straightforward descriptive term that highlights vulnerability and the potential for failure under stress.