malleable

[ mal-ee-uh-buhl ]
See synonyms for malleable on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of malleable

1
1350–1400; Middle English malliable<Medieval Latin malleābilis, equivalent to malle(āre) to hammer (derivative of Latin malleus hammer) + -ābilis-able

Other words for malleable

Opposites for malleable

Other words from malleable

  • mal·le·a·bly, adverb
  • mal·le·a·bil·i·ty, mal·le·a·ble·ness, noun
  • non·mal·le·a·ble, adjective
  • un·mal·le·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for malleable

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

Origin of malleable

1
C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin malleābilis, from Latin malleus hammer

Derived forms of malleable

  • malleability or rare malleableness, noun
  • malleably, adverb

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

Scientific definitions for malleable

malleable

[ mălē-ə-bəl ]


  1. 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.