malleable
Americanadjective
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capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
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adaptable or tractable.
the malleable mind of a child.
- Synonyms:
- pliable, flexible, moldable, impressionable
- Antonyms:
- intractable, refractory
adjective
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(esp of metal) able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking
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able to be influenced; pliable or tractable
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Capable of great deformation without breaking, when subject to compressive stress. Gold is the most malleable metal.
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Compare ductile
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of malleable
1350–1400; Middle English malliable < Medieval Latin malleābilis, equivalent to malle ( āre ) to hammer (derivative of Latin malleus hammer) + -ābilis -able
Explanation
A malleable metal is able to be pounded or pressed into various shapes, and a malleable personality is capable of being changed or trained. It's easier to learn when you're young and malleable. Just as there are substances that are malleable, including clay and some metals, there are also ductile metals that can be hammered out into wire or thread; gold, silver, and platinum are examples. The adjective malleable dates back to Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin malleābilis, from malleāre, "to hammer."
Vocabulary lists containing malleable
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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.
A core principle of NIN is that the band is malleable.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
That is bad news for big users of the malleable metal, from Michigan’s auto parts makers and Indiana’s recreational-vehicle factories to beer and soda companies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
Dahlia Lithwick: In your article, you draw out the fact that lawyers are extremely uneasy about invoking the language of morality, because morality is either too malleable or just sanctimonious and annoying.
From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026
“I think that’s what makes it so fun because we’re really open to this idea of time being a little bit malleable, a little bit gelatinous,” Lopatin says.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025
He guided Joe to a lumber rack and pulled out samples of the different woods he used—soft, malleable sugar pine, hard yellow spruce, fragrant cedar, and clear white ash.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
