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flexible

[ flek-suh-buhl ]
/ ˈflɛk sə bəl /
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See synonyms for: flexible / flexibility / flexibleness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent: a flexible ruler.
susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable: a flexible schedule.
willing or disposed to yield; pliable: a flexible personality.

noun

a flexible substance or material, as rubber or leather.

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Origin of flexible

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin flexibilis “pliant, easily bent”; see flex1, -ible

synonym study for flexible

1. 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 WORDS FROM flexible

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to flexible

soft, malleable, flexile, adjustable, bending, ductile, elastic, formative, impressionable, limber, lithe, plastic, pliant, spongy, springy, stretch, supple, tractable, willowy, yielding

Example sentences from the Web for flexible

British Dictionary definitions for flexible

flexible
/ (ˈflɛksɪbəl) /

adjective

Also: flexile (ˈflɛksaɪl) able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable
adaptable or variableflexible working hours
able to be persuaded easily; tractable

Derived forms of flexible

flexibility or flexibleness, nounflexibly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for flexible

flexible
[ flĕk′sə-bəl ]

adj.

Capable of being bent or flexed.
Capable of being bent repeatedly without injury or damage.

Other words from flexible

flex′i•bil′i•ty null n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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