flexibility
Americannoun
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the ability to bend easily or without breaking.
The shoe soles are made from elastic materials to provide perfect flexibility.
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the quality of being easily adapted or of offering many different options.
This blogging platform is becoming more and more popular because of its flexibility, power, and simplicity.
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the ability and willingness to adjust one’s thinking or behavior.
Being a resilient parent is all about flexibility.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flexibility
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin flexibilitāt-, stem of flexibilitās, equivalent to flexibili(s) “pliant, easily bent” + -tās -ty 2 ( def. ); see flexible ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does flexibility compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If you twist your body into the shape of a pretzel, you are showing a lot of flexibility. Flexibility is the ability to bend or stretch. Lots of things can have flexibility. Pipe cleaners are designed for flexibility. A piece of software can boast flexibility when it can be used in different ways by different people. If you are really busy with school, sports and activities, your schedule won't have much flexibility. Please don't get fixed on one set idea — show a little flexibility and listen to others.
Vocabulary lists containing flexibility
Physical Education - Introductory
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Vocabulary from President Trump's First Address to Congress
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Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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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 arrangement offers customers “more choice and flexibility in how they access cloud TPUs,” according to a Google blog post.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Now carrying the family’s torch is the fifth generation of tumbling acrobats skilled in the art of balance and flexibility.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Bobo Lo, former deputy head of mission at the Australian Embassy in Moscow, says it is this strategic flexibility, rather than the rigidity of a military alliance, that gives the partnership resilience.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Researchers have reported that watermelon consumption and L-citrulline supplementation may improve measures tied to blood vessel flexibility and circulation, including pulse wave velocity and endothelial function.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
Or rather, she tried to, but her jeans wouldn’t allow her the flexibility she needed.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
