pliable

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈplaɪəbəl/ UK /ˈplaɪəbəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
easily bent without breaking; easily influenced

The willow's pliable branches bent easily into a basket.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · easily bent without... flexible supple pliant malleable bendable elastic yielding adaptable

Opposites

rigid stiff inflexible unyielding brittle

Word family

Forms pliability

Derived forms pliablypliabilitypliableness

Related forms pliant pliancy ply apply

Etymology

From Old French pliable ('flexible'), from plier ('to bend, fold'), from Latin plicare ('to fold').

pliable Old French plicare Latin *plek- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# pliable

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

## Meanings
1. easily bent without breaking; easily influenced

## Examples
- The willow's pliable branches bent easily into a basket.

## Synonyms
- flexible
- supple
- pliant
- malleable
- bendable
- elastic
- yielding
- adaptable

## Antonyms
- rigid
- stiff
- inflexible
- unyielding
- brittle

## Derived Forms
- pliably
- pliability
- pliableness

## Related Forms
- pliant
- pliancy
- ply
- apply

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pliable
- Root: plicare
- Root: *plek-

## Etymology
From Old French pliable ('flexible'), from plier ('to bend, fold'), from Latin plicare ('to fold').

## AI Etymology
Pliable comes from Old French pliable ('flexible'), from plier ('to bend, fold'), from Latin plicare ('to fold'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As an adjective, it carries the sense "easily bent without breaking; easily influenced", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Old French pliable, Latin plicare, and Proto-Indo-European *plek-. Derivative forms include pliably, pliability, pliableness; related words include pliant, pliancy, ply, apply.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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