croustillant
/kʁus.ti.jɑ̃/
The French word for crusty is croustillant.
The adjective croustillant is used to describe something that has a crispy or crusty texture, such as pain croustillant (crusty bread).
Meaning: having a crust (adj)
Which one should you use?
While croustillant describes a crispy or crusty texture, the word moelleux is often used as its culinary opposite to describe something that is soft or tender.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes depending on the gender and number of the noun it describes: use croustillant for masculine singular, croustillante for feminine singular, croustillants for masculine plural and croustillantes for feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /kʁus.ti.jɑ̃/.
Did you know?
- In French, the word croustillant is often used metaphorically to describe a piece of gossip or a 'juicy' story that is exciting to hear.
- While croustillant describes the crunch, French bakers often focus on the grigne, which is the specific 'ear' or crusty ridge created when bread is scored.
- In a figurative sense, describing a person's humor as croustillant suggests it is slightly risqué or suggestive.
Examples in context
- La baguette est croustillante à l'extérieur et moelleuse à l'intérieur.The baguette is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Le pain est très croustillant.The bread is very crusty.
- J'aime quand le poulet est croustillant.I like it when the chicken is crusty.
- Cette pâte est parfaitement croustillante.This pastry is perfectly crusty.
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are eating at a bakery.
- EmmaCe croissant est vraiment croustillant !This croissant is truly crusty!
- NathanOui, il est délicieux.Yes, it is delicious.
- EmmaTu en veux un morceau, Nathan ?Do you want a piece, Nathan?
- NathanNon merci, je n'ai plus faim.No thanks, I am no longer hungry.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry croustillant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
