Which preposition goes with 'brittle' -- under, to, or of? Pair "brittle" with "under" (pressure, load, stress), "when" (demand spikes), or "because it depends on..." -- not "to," "of," or "for."
The pattern: name what's pressing on the thing
The natural stress-condition pattern names what's pressing on the thing, using "under" for a state and "when" for an event, rather than treating "brittle" like a verb that takes a direct-object-style preposition. Think of it as answering the question "brittle under what?" or "brittle when what happens?" rather than "brittle to what?"
"The automation is brittle under pressure" is correct; "brittle to pressure" and "brittle of pressure" are not.
"The pipeline is brittle when demand spikes" is correct; "brittle of demand spikes" and "brittle to demand spikes" are not.
For a fuller dependency, "brittle because it depends on..." works well too, and it has the advantage of naming the actual mechanism rather than just the trigger condition.
The common mistake: borrowing a preposition from a nearby word
A wrong preposition -- "the process is brittle to change" -- is a clear grammar error that pulls a careful reader's attention away from the actual risk content of the sentence. It's the kind of mistake that's easy to make by analogy with words like "vulnerable to" or "sensitive to," which do take "to."
Want to learn "Brittle" in depth?
Lyra Practice teaches advanced non-native professionals the nuance of high-value expressions like this one, then has you practice using them in realistic work scenarios.
Start learning for free →"Brittle" doesn't follow that pattern. If you catch yourself writing "brittle to," swap in "under" for a state or "when" for an event, and the sentence will read the way a native colleague expects.
Practice scenarios
Practice using brittle in situations like:
- choosing between "under," "when," and "because it depends on" for a brittle claim
- catching "brittle to" before it goes into a written report
- describing a specific stressor using the correct preposition pattern
Useful practice phrases:
- "[X] is brittle under [pressure/load/stress]."
- "[X] is brittle when [event] happens."
- "[X] is brittle because it depends on [dependency]."