Synonyms for
Crumbling
Definition
To break or fall apart into small pieces, especially because of age or neglect.
Synonyms & similar words
Synonyms by register
Informal
Literary
Antonyms
Common collocations
- crumbling walls
- crumbling empire
- crumbling facade
- crumbling ruins
- crumbling buildings
- crumbling infrastructure
- crumbling away
Word family
Usage note
Crumbling typically describes physical decay or disintegration. It can also be used metaphorically for abstract concepts like empires or reputations.
Example sentences
- The cookie was crumbling in my hand.
- The castle walls were crumbling from age.
- The old bridge was crumbling and dangerous to cross.
- The sandcastle was crumbling as the tide came in.
- The old book was crumbling to dust.
Quotes
The world is crumbling to ruin.
The foundations of a great nation are laid in the homes of its people. Our homes need to be rebuilt. The veins of our people must throb with renewed vigor. We must rise again like phoenixes from the ashes of the past. The crumbled must be rebuilt.
Everything that looks to the future elevates human nature; for life is never so low or so little as when occupied with the present. The present is only a mathematical line that divides that which has disappeared and that which has not yet appeared. The present moment is already nothing but the past; the present is crumbled away beneath our feet.