delicate pitiful fragile(breakable, brittle) You must cushion fragile objects carefully when you pack them. emaciate A long illness had emaciated my father. emaciated(skinny; haggard) A bus transported the emaciated refugees to the camp. flimsy(thin) fragmentary(discontinuous) frail(fragile, flimsy) My grandmother is frail, but she's still very alert. brittle(fragile) Steel is not as brittle as cast iron; it doesn't break as easily. slender(slim) impotence(powerlessness) limp