pliable

English

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French ploiable, from ploiier (“to fold”). By surface analysis, ply +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplaɪəbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪəbəl

Adjective

pliable (comparative more pliable, superlative most pliable)

1. Soft, flexible, easily bent, formed, shaped, or molded.

   You will find the clay perfectly pliable as long as it stays moist.

2. Easily persuaded; yielding to influence.

Synonyms

• (soft, flexible): lithy

Derived terms

• pliableness
• pliably

Related terms

• pliability
• pliancy
• pliant
• ply

Translations

easily bent or formed

• Bulgarian: пластичен (bg) (plastičen), ковък (bg) (kovǎk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 易彎／易弯 (zh) (yìwān), 易曲折的 (yì qūzhé de)

• Dutch: plooibaar (nl)
• Finnish: taipuisa (fi), notkea (fi)
• French: pliable (fr), pliant (fr)
• German: biegsam (de), geschmeidig (de)
• Greek: εύκαμπτος (el) (éfkamptos), εύπλαστος (el) (éfplastos), ευλύγιστος (el) (evlýgistos)
• Italian: malleabile (it), pieghevole (it), flessibile (it), adattabile (it), modellabile (it)
• Japanese: 曲げやすい (まげやすい, mageyasui), しなやかな (ja) (shinayaka na)
• Korean: 유연(柔軟)한 (yuyeonhan)
• Latin: flexilis
• Manx: so-lhoobagh
• Maori: kōpēpē, kōngohe, kōpē
• Polish: giętki (pl), gibki (pl)
• Portuguese: maleável (pt), moldável, flexível (pt)
• Romanian: pliabil (ro), pliant (ro)
• Russian: ги́бкий (ru) (gíbkij)
• Serbo-Croatian: savitljiv (sh), савитљив
• Sicilian: ncunucchiàvili, gnutticàvili
• Slovak: ohybný, tvárny, poddajný
• Spanish: plegable (es), flexible (es), moldeable, maleable (es), plegadizo (es)
• Tocharian B: wlaṃśke
• Ukrainian: гнучки́й (hnučkýj)

Further reading

• “pliable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “pliable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “pliable”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

French

Etymology

From plier +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

pliable (plural pliables)

1. pliable

Further reading

• “pliable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.