malleability

American  

[mal-ee-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌmæl i əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Sometimes malleableness

noun

1. the state of being malleable, or capable of being shaped, as by hammering or pressing.

   the extreme malleability of gold.

2. adaptability.

   the malleability of an infant's brain.

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Other Word Forms

• nonmalleability noun
• nonmalleableness noun
• unmalleability noun

Etymology

Origin of malleability

First recorded in 1640–50; malle(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does malleability compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ductility vs. malleability

Example Sentences

The malleability of the dog genome allows for enormous physical variety, she explained, meaning that breeders can push features to extremes—squashing snouts, piling on wrinkles.

From The Wall Street Journal

A portrait of a body twice represented, Mehiel’s piece stressed the solidity and malleability of their own body, and the beauty they find within and around it.

From Los Angeles Times

However, this suggests more about the relative malleability of our persona at the age of 20, when we’re still figuring out who we are and often look to movies for inspiration.

From Salon

In the age of social media, its malleability makes it highly Instagrammable.

From Salon

However, the fact that his private investigator has been portrayed more than 254 times in movies and TV speaks to the endless malleability of a literary character that’s more than a century old.

From Salon