malleability
Americannoun
-
the state of being malleable, or capable of being shaped, as by hammering or pressing.
the extreme malleability of gold.
-
adaptability.
the malleability of an infant's brain.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of malleability
First recorded in 1640–50; malle(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does malleability compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Malleability is the quality of something that can be shaped into something else without breaking, like the malleability of clay. Malleability — also called plasticity — has to do with whether something can be molded. Clay (or Play-Doh) is the best example of something with high malleability; it can be sculpted into almost anything, so it's very malleable. A cinder block has no malleability at all; it can't be shaped into anything. Wet cement has great malleability, unlike dry cement. A person could also express malleability, if he or she is wishy-washy and can easily be molded by others.
Vocabulary lists containing malleability
Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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Structure and Properties of Matter - High School
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Daughter of the Deep
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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.
His stylistic malleability, undoubtedly a professional asset, led to inconsistency.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
A portrait of a body twice represented, Mehiel’s piece stressed the solidity and malleability of their own body, and the beauty they find within and around it.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025
In the age of social media, its malleability makes it highly Instagrammable.
From Salon • Jul. 5, 2025
One of the key challenges that the doctrine poses to regulatory governance is its malleability, thanks to the high court’s poor articulation of the philosophy’s scope and application.
From Slate • Jun. 13, 2025
But more than the material nature of the gene, it was the sheer malleability of the genome—that X-rays could make such Silly Putty of genes—that stunned scientists.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
