flexible
Americanadjective
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Also: flexile. able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable
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adaptable or variable
flexible working hours
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able to be persuaded easily; tractable
Related Words
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing flexible
Nothing But the Truth
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"Mindsets in the Classroom"
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flec, flex
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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.
Dudamel grew as an artist and a person, he says, through his relationship with an orchestra that is uniquely flexible and a welcoming community.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
"It is not an alliance, but a flexible strategic partnership," he says, one that has endured despite repeated predictions of its collapse.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
That discovery placed another hominin lineage in the broader region during the same critical window and suggested that early human relatives were more widespread and ecologically flexible than once assumed.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
“Rather than just focusing on EVs, we want to be flexible whether we need to head towards EVs or in the other direction,” Mibe said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
The robin sings flexible songs, containing a variety of motifs that he rearranges to his liking; the notes in each motif constitute the syntax, and the possibilities for variation produce a considerable repertoire.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
