flexible

American  

[flek-suh-buhl] / ˈflɛk sə bəl /

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.

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noun

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

flexible British  

/ 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

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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

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

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.

Example Sentences

Investors weren’t sure what to expect and believed Greenspan might be more flexible to the White House than Volcker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

"This highlights just how flexible and adaptable interspecies communication can be."

From Science Daily • Jun. 20, 2026

“Projects of this scale help deliver energy reliably to areas of rising demand, improve the movement of power across states and support a more resilient, flexible and affordable electric system.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

Biscuits simply give you a flexible, inexpensive starting place from which abundance becomes much easier.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026

But English is more flexible than what a logician would have designed, and the context generally makes it clear what the speaker means.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• malleable
• soft