flexible

[flek-suh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent.

   a flexible ruler.

   Synonyms: supple, elastic, pliable
   Antonyms: stiff

2. susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable.

   a flexible schedule.

   Synonyms: compliant, tractable
   Antonyms: rigid

3. willing or disposed to yield; pliable.

   a flexible personality.

noun

1. a flexible substance or material, as rubber or leather.

flexible

/ ˈflɛksɪbəl /

adjective

1. Also: flexile. able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable

2. adaptable or variable

   flexible working hours

3. able to be persuaded easily; tractable

Other Word Forms

• flexibility noun
• flexibleness noun
• flexibly adverb
• hyperflexible adjective
• hyperflexibleness noun
• hyperflexibly adverb
• nonflexible adjective
• nonflexibleness noun
• nonflexibly adverb
• unflexible adjective
• unflexibly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of flexible¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin flexibilis “pliant, easily bent”; flex ¹, -ible

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

He said a "key benefit" of that approach was that it was "flexible", and the rate could rise and fall depending on the demand for overnight stays.

Read more on BBC

She encourages the students she mentors to look for the flexible work arrangements that have become more common postpandemic.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To critics, the Fed’s latest moves highlight the risks of data dependence, or a flexible, judgment-based approach that they say can leave the central bank unmoored when data are scarce or unclear.

Read more on Barron's

It relies on an endoscope, a camera-tipped flexible device that is carefully guided through the large intestine.

Read more on Science Daily

“Gödel, Escher, Bach” is a virtuoso display of flexible thinking, connecting genetics, math, computer science, art and music.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• malleable 
• soft