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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Effortless, beachy waves that stay soft and bouncy, not brittle.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
1 May 2025
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This deeply hydrating treatment offers touchable softness to brittle strands and delivers moisture directly to the cortex with a potent blend of squalane, humectants, and peptides.—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The settlement elicited a crisp rebuke from Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw, a member of the commission’s Democratic minority.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
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The crust reminded me of a puff pastry; super crisp yet light and flakey on the outside, and soft and almost steamed on the inside.—
Kaitlyn Rosati,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumbly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbly. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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