adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of pliable
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from French, equivalent to pli(er) “to fold, bend” ( see ply 2) + -able -able
Explanation
Pliable means bendable but not breakable. Wax is pliable, good leather is pliable. If you describe a person as pliable, it usually means that he's easily influenced. When Madame barks "Plier!" (rhymes with "okay") in ballet class, all the students obediently bend their knees into a graceful semi-crouch. Plier is French for bend and it's the root of the word pliable. The word pliable itself is quite pliable, an apt description for everything from building materials to a person's character.
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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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.
Pliable muscles, which are not the same as flexible muscles, are “soft” and not “dense,” he and Mr. Brady assert.
From New York Times • Sep. 20, 2017
Pliable rubber making contact with asphalt doesn't seem as if it would produce a lot of noise but in fact it does, and in a lot of ways.
From Time Magazine Archive
Christian was mired there, and Pliable nearly lost his life.
From My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field by Coffin, Charles Carleton
Then I saw in my dream that by this time Pliable was got home to his house.
From Young Folks Treasury, Volume 3 (of 12) Classic Tales and Old-Fashioned Stories by Mabie, Hamilton Wright
Vanity Fair is a real town to them, and Mr. Pliable a real man.
From Sunday-School Success A Book of Practical Methods for Sunday-School Teachers and Officers by Wells, Amos R.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
