flexible
American
adjective
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Also: flexile. able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable
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adaptable or variable
flexible working hours
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able to be persuaded easily; tractable
Synonym Usage
Flexible, limber, pliant refer to that which bends easily. Flexible refers to that which is capable of being bent and adds sometimes the idea of compressibility or expansibility: a flexible piece of rubber hose. Limber is especially applied to the body to refer to ease of movement; it resembles flexible except that there is an idea of even greater ease in bending: a limber dancer. Pliant stresses an inherent quality or tendency to bend that does not require force or pressure from the outside; it may mean merely adaptable or may have a derogatory sense: a pliant character.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flexible
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin flexibilis “pliant, easily bent”; see flex 1, -ible
Explanation
Something that is flexible is easily bent without breaking. The flexible drinking straw was invented in the 1930s by a man who saw his daughter struggling to drink a milkshake with a straight paper straw. The word flexible can refer to bendable physical objects or to intangibles like a person's mind, which can be changed. It can even refer to work environments that can adapt schedules and benefits to fit a worker's individual needs. Being physically flexible usually means good health, with no pain in movement. In all, it's great to be flexible, to be able to bend without breaking and bounce back, ready to keep going.
Vocabulary lists containing flexible
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flec, flex
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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.
She likes the flexible preferred-provider organization, or PPO, design, which lets her see specialists without getting a referral from her primary-care doctor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
A cash or bond reserve, a flexible spending plan and an ability to reduce discretionary spending during a market downturn would help manage that risk.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
These findings show that the transition from a flexible, unspecialized cell to one with a particular biological function does not happen at the same time throughout the embryo.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
By changing which regions of DNA can communicate, these flexible connections could help generate new patterns of gene activity and contribute to the evolution of complex traits.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
“We’re asking for volunteers with flexible travel plans who are willing to take a later flight.”
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
