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malleable

[ mal-ee-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈmæl i ə bəl /
||
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adjective

capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
adaptable or tractable: the malleable mind of a child.

RELATED WORDS

flexible, supple, workable, adaptable, compliant, ductile, governable, impressionable, manageable, plastic, pliant, soft, submissive, tractable, yielding, moldable, tractile, transformable

Nearby words

  1. mallarmé, stéphane,
  2. mallcore,
  3. malle,
  4. malle, louis,
  5. malleability,
  6. malleable cast iron,
  7. malleable iron,
  8. malleablize,
  9. malleate,
  10. mallee

Origin of malleable

1350–1400; Middle English malliable < Medieval Latin malleābilis, equivalent to malle(āre) to hammer (derivative of Latin malleus hammer) + -ābilis -able
ANTONYMS FOR malleable
2. refractory, intractable.
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Related formsmal·le·a·bly, adverbmal·le·a·bil·i·ty, mal·le·a·ble·ness, nounnon·mal·le·a·ble, adjectiveun·mal·le·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for malleable

British Dictionary definitions for malleable

malleable

/ (ˈmælɪəbəl) /

adjective

(esp of metal) able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking
able to be influenced; pliable or tractable
Derived Formsmalleability or rare malleableness, nounmalleably, adverb

Word Origin for malleable

C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin malleābilis, from Latin malleus hammer
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
Word Origin and History for malleable

malleable

adj.

late 14c., "capable of being shaped by hammering," from Middle French malleable and directly from Medieval Latin malleabilis, from malleare "to beat with a hammer," from Latin malleus "hammer" (see mallet). Figurative sense, of persons, "capable of being adapted" first recorded 1610s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for malleable

malleable

[ măl′ē-ə-bəl ]

adj.

Capable of being shaped or formed, as by hammering or pressure.
Easily controlled or influenced; tractable.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for malleable

malleable

[ măl′ē-ə-bəl ]

Capable of great deformation without breaking, when subject to compressive stress. Gold is the most malleable metal. Compare ductile.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.