adjective
-
easily bent; supple
a pliant young tree
-
easily modified; adaptable; flexible
a pliant system
-
yielding readily to influence; compliant
Synonym Usage
See flexible.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pliant
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, present participle of the verb plier ply 2; see -ant
Explanation
The adjective pliant describes something that is capable of being bent. "The teenager showed off her pliant spine every time she draped herself over a piece of furniture. Why hanging upside down off the sofa didn't give her a headache, her mother would never know." Pliant has both a literal and a figurative meaning. Pliant can describe something that is bendable — like a spine, a tree branch, a bendy straw — or it can describe something that is flexible, but less tangible. In this latter sense, pliant describes something that adjusts to conditions or is easily influenced: "In order to survive the recession, the company had to be pliant and adjust to the new economic conditions."
Vocabulary lists containing pliant
Mythology
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"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 2 of the epic poem
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Bless Me, Ultima
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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.
The strikingly lovely Ms. Aikens, meanwhile, exudes a worldliness far above Juliet’s barely 14 years, although her performance grows more pliant and nuanced as the lovers’ unhappy destiny looms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
But whether that would make Tehran more pliant, let alone spur regime change, is questionable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
They see many CEOs as overpaid autocrats who pack boards with pliant, fee-hungry directors with no skin in the game.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
Those familiar with Crosstrek over the years should be equally surprised by the hush and pliant ride of today’s model.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
This time the enemy was more cunning: it followed only halfway up, then deliberately swayed the pliant young tree from side to side, determined to shake the cat off.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
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.
