Definitions

pliable

[plahy-uh-buhl] / ˈplaɪ ə bəl /

ADJECTIVE

bendable, adaptable

Synonyms

STRONGEST

docile flexible limber malleable manageable pliant spongy supple

WEAK

compliant ductile easily led easy impressionable lithe manipulable moldable obedient plastic putty receptive responsive rolling with the punches submissive susceptible tractable yielding

Antonyms

STRONGEST

hard inflexible obstinate rigid stiff stubborn unyielding

WEAK

unadaptable unbendable unpliable unpliant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This paradox raised a fundamental question: how can the planet's solid center appear firm yet strangely pliable?

From Science Daily • Dec. 10, 2025

If you can square those actions with Hernández’s pardon and not throw your back out in the process you’re either more pliable than most or willfully obtuse.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2025

Eventually, it becomes pliable enough to pick off ground balls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Canned crescent dough, improbably, was just right: pliable without tearing, sturdy without getting tough, and still capable of a respectable rise.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2025

The earth, muddy and pliable, sucks at her feet.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Vocabulary lists containing pliable

Power Suffix: -able

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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100 SAT words Beginning with "P"

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