inflexible

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ɪnˈflɛksəbəl/ UK /ɪnˈflɛksɪbl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
not able to be bent, or unwilling to change

The company's inflexible rules frustrated its newer employees.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not able to be bent, or... rigidunbendingunyielding obdurate adamant stiff

Opposites

flexible pliable adaptable yielding

Word family

Forms inflexibilityinflexibly

Derived forms inflexiblyinflexibility

Related forms flexible flexflexionreflex

Etymology

From Latin inflexibilis ('that cannot be bent'), from in- ('not') + flexibilis ('pliant'), from flectere ('to bend').

inflexibilis Latin flectere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# inflexible

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈflɛksəbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈflɛksɪbl/

## Meanings
1. not able to be bent, or unwilling to change

## Examples
- The company's inflexible rules frustrated its newer employees.

## Synonyms
- rigid
- unbending
- unyielding
- obdurate
- adamant
- stiff

## Antonyms
- flexible
- pliable
- adaptable
- yielding

## Derived Forms
- inflexibly
- inflexibility

## Related Forms
- flexible
- flex
- flexion
- reflex

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: inflexibilis
- Root: flectere

## Etymology
From Latin inflexibilis ('that cannot be bent'), from in- ('not') + flexibilis ('pliant'), from flectere ('to bend').

## AI Etymology
Inflexible comes from Latin inflexibilis ('that cannot be bent'), from in- ('not') + flexibilis ('pliant'), from flectere ('to bend'). The historical trail runs through Latin inflexibilis and Latin flectere. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means not able to be bent, or unwilling to change. Derived formations include inflexibly, inflexibility; related forms include flexible, flex, flexion, reflex.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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