croustillant
/kʁus.ti.jɑ̃/
The English word "crunchy" is translated into French as croustillant.
croustillant is an adjective used to describe food that has a crunchy texture.
Meaning: likely to crunch (adj)
Which one should you use?
In the context of food texture, croustillant is the opposite of mou, which means soft or chewy.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes to match the gender and number of the noun it describes: croustillant is the masculine singular form, croustillante is the feminine singular form, croustillants is the masculine plural form and croustillantes is the feminine plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/kʁus.ti.jɑ̃/
Did you know?
- In French slang, croustillant can describe a piece of gossip or a story that is 'juicy' and scandalous.
- French distinguishes between croustillant, which implies a delicate crispness, and craquant, which describes something that snaps or cracks loudly.
- The word croustillant comes from the verb croustiller, which mimics the actual sound of something breaking or crunching. This makes the word an onomatopoeia, similar to how 'crunch' works in English.
Examples in context
- J'aime que mes biscuits soient mous plutôt que croustillants.I like my cookies chewy rather than crunchy.This sentence is useful for showing the contrast between cookies that are chewy and those that are croustillant.Tatoeba #8925021 by lbdx, translation #553054 by darinmex
- La croûte du pain est croustillante.The crust of the bread is crunchy
- Les pommes fraîches sont craquantes.The fresh apples are crunchy
- Ces chips sont croquantes.These chips are crunchy
- Le pain est croustillantThe bread is crunchy
- Les bonbons sont croquantsThe candy is crunchy
- Ce pain est très croustillant.This bread is very crunchy.
- Je cherche un biscuit croustillant.I am looking for a crunchy biscuit.
Example conversation
A cafe where Nathan and Léa are eating snacks.
- NathanTu aimes ce gâteau croustillant ?Do you like this crunchy cake?
- LéaOui, il est délicieux !Yes, it is delicious!
- NathanLa texture est vraiment parfaite.The texture is really perfect.
- LéaC'est vrai, il est très bon.It's true, it is very good.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry croustillant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
