malleable
Americanadjective
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capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
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adaptable or tractable.
the malleable mind of a child.
- Synonyms:
- pliable, flexible, moldable, impressionable
- Antonyms:
- intractable, refractory
adjective
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(esp of metal) able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking
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able to be influenced; pliable or tractable
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Capable of great deformation without breaking, when subject to compressive stress. Gold is the most malleable metal.
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Compare ductile
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of malleable
1350–1400; Middle English malliable < Medieval Latin malleābilis, equivalent to malle ( āre ) to hammer (derivative of Latin malleus hammer) + -ābilis -able
Explanation
A malleable metal is able to be pounded or pressed into various shapes, and a malleable personality is capable of being changed or trained. It's easier to learn when you're young and malleable. Just as there are substances that are malleable, including clay and some metals, there are also ductile metals that can be hammered out into wire or thread; gold, silver, and platinum are examples. The adjective malleable dates back to Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin malleābilis, from malleāre, "to hammer."
Vocabulary lists containing malleable
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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.
"Leg-spin hasn't played too much of a role and we want to be a team who can adapt to different conditions and be quite malleable with our selections," McCullum added.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Rather than rehashing traditional compositions, the group recognizes these sorely untapped sounds as living and malleable, creating new interpretations that bring them to our times without losing an ounce of their essence and verve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Haloed by light, the sitter—seemingly startled by our presence—does not occupy so much as define space, which feels malleable, strangely unstable, at times a mirage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
He’s malleable and clueless about a lot of things, including whether it’s appropriate to interpret a female colleague’s nervous vomiting as an indicator that she’s pregnant.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
The brain is malleable from childhood to adulthood.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
