fragilité

Fragilité is the quality of being easily damaged, broken, or harmed by stress, strain, or perturbations. The term derives from the French fragilité, which itself comes from the Latin fragilis, meaning breakable. In practice, fragility conveys vulnerability rather than a fixed state: something fragile can fail under relatively small shocks, whereas more robust systems resist such failures.

In the physical and engineering sense, fragility refers to materials or structures that are prone to fracture or sudden rupture. Glass, ceramics, and certain composites are commonly cited as fragile because they lack ductility and can fail catastrophically under stress. Engineers study factors such as flaws, stress concentration, and fracture toughness to assess and mitigate fragility, aiming to design components and buildings that withstand shocks and loads.

In health and biology, fragilité is used to describe vulnerability, particularly among older adults or individuals with chronic illness. Clinically, frailty is a syndrome characterized by weakness, reduced physiological reserve, and greater susceptibility to adverse outcomes after minor health stressors. This usage highlights how fragility relates to whole-organism resilience and functional capacity.

In social and economic contexts, fragility denotes the susceptibility of systems—such as states, institutions, or supply chains—to crises, shocks, or stressors. Fragile systems may exhibit tipping points, cascading failures, or slow recovery from disturbances, emphasizing the importance of resilience and redundancy in mitigating risk.

Fragility is often discussed alongside resilience and antifragility. While fragility highlights vulnerability, resilience refers to the ability to absorb shocks and recover, and antifragility describes systems that improve when exposed to volatility.