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
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
Derived 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.
Venture Global benefited more from flexible and uncontracted cargoes during the shortage, making it likely to give back more gains as gas markets normalize.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
And we triumph over the chaos by staying present, flexible and focused on the tasks at hand, whatever they may be.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
Its combination of flexible markets, rapid investment, abundant energy, and tolerance for risk has helped it weather shocks that have strained its peers.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
The study concluded that politically diverse management teams were ideologically and cognitively more flexible, which contributed to better investment decision-making.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
“A large campus just doesn’t work for me anymore, and a flexible schedule makes therapy easier to work in. At an academy I would always be missing school. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
