malleability

American  

[mal-ee-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌmæl i əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Sometimes malleableness

noun

1. the state of being malleable, or capable of being shaped, as by hammering or pressing.

   the extreme malleability of gold.

2. adaptability.

   the malleability of an infant's brain.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonmalleability noun
• nonmalleableness noun
• unmalleability noun

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:

• ductility vs. malleability

Example Sentences

The malleability of the dog genome allows for enormous physical variety, she explained, meaning that breeders can push features to extremes—squashing snouts, piling on wrinkles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

In the age of social media, its malleability makes it highly Instagrammable.

From Salon • Jul. 5, 2025

Lee says collapses happen often during the printing phase because of the moisture and malleability of the clay.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024

Her great subject turns out to be the malleability of identity itself, which may help explain why Horn describes an exhibition as a “group show of myself.”

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2024

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