Meanings
comparative more pliable · superlative most pliable
- Easily persuaded; yielding to influence.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveSoft, flexible, easily bent, formed, shaped, or molded.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivesusceptible to being led or directed
adjectivecapable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
adjectivecapable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchploiable
- Englishpliable
From Middle French, from Old French ploiable, from ploiier (“to fold”). By surface analysis, ply + -able. Compare pliant.
More words from Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian пластичен, ковък
- пластичен (plastičen)easily bent or formed
- ковък (kovăk)easily bent or formed
Chinese Mandarin 易彎 /易弯, 易曲折的
- 易彎 /易弯 (yìwān)easily bent or formed
- 易曲折的 (yì qūzhé de)easily bent or formed
Dutch plooibaar
- plooibaareasily bent or formed
Finnish taipuisa, notkea
- taipuisaeasily bent or formed
- notkeaeasily bent or formed
French pliable, pliant
- pliableeasily bent or formed
- plianteasily bent or formed
German biegsam, geschmeidig
- biegsameasily bent or formed
- geschmeidigeasily bent or formed
Greek εύκαμπτος, εύπλαστος
- εύκαμπτος (éfkamptos)easily bent or formed
- εύπλαστος (éfplastos)easily bent or formed
- ευλύγιστος (evlýgistos)easily bent or formed
Italian malleabile, pieghevole
- malleabileeasily bent or formed
- pieghevoleeasily bent or formed
- flessibileeasily bent or formed
- adattabileeasily bent or formed
- modellabileeasily bent or formed
Japanese 曲げやすい, しなやかな
- 曲げやすい (mageyasui)easily bent or formed
- しなやかな (shinayaka na)easily bent or formed
Korean 유연(柔軟)한
- 유연(柔軟)한 (yuyeonhan)easily bent or formed
Latin flexilis
- flexiliseasily bent or formed
Māori kōpēpē, kōngohe
- kōpēpēeasily bent or formed
- kōngoheeasily bent or formed
- kōpēeasily bent or formed
Norwegian bøyelig
- bøyeligeasily bent or formed
Polish giętki, gibki
- giętkieasily bent or formed
- gibkieasily bent or formed
Portuguese maleável, moldável
- maleáveleasily bent or formed
- moldáveleasily bent or formed
- flexíveleasily bent or formed
Romanian pliabil, pliant
- pliabileasily bent or formed
- plianteasily bent or formed
Russian ги́бкий
- ги́бкий (gíbkij)easily bent or formed
Slovak ohybný, tvárny
- ohybnýeasily bent or formed
- tvárnyeasily bent or formed
- poddajnýeasily bent or formed
Spanish plegable, plegadizo
- plegableeasily bent or formed
- plegadizoeasily bent or formed
Ukrainian гнучки́й
- гнучки́й (hnučkýj)easily bent or formed
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with pliable
All rhymes →Cite this entry
pliable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pliable
“pliable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pliable. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pliable,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pliable.
Source: pliable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.