malleable

[mal-ee-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.

2. adaptable or tractable.

   the malleable mind of a child.

   Synonyms: pliable, flexible, moldable, impressionable
   Antonyms: intractable, refractory

malleable

/ ˈmælɪəbəl /

adjective

1. (esp of metal) able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking

2. able to be influenced; pliable or tractable

malleable

1. Capable of great deformation without breaking, when subject to compressive stress. Gold is the most malleable metal.

2. Compare ductile

Other Word Forms

• malleably adverb
• malleability noun
• malleableness noun
• nonmalleable adjective
• unmalleable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of malleable¹

1350–1400; Middle English malliable < Medieval Latin malleābilis, equivalent to malle ( āre ) to hammer (derivative of Latin malleus hammer) + -ābilis -able

Word History and Origins

Origin of malleable¹

C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin malleābilis, from Latin malleus hammer

Example Sentences

But they’re also malleable; there’s no telling what might affect them, or what a child might carry with them throughout their life.

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By reframing age as something malleable, these tests motivate healthier choices.

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The layered effect is magical—as if the vessel were malleable, atmospheric, and the figures were frolicking within its translucent skin.

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Still, the point is made: Truth is a malleable thing, prone to erasure and distortion, yet we need it more than ever.

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Morrow poses this riddle to an unsuspecting Hybrid once he figures out their adult bodies are governed by the malleable, gullible minds of children.

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Related Words

• adaptable 
• flexible 
• supple 
• workable