adjective
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easily bent; supple
a pliant young tree
-
easily modified; adaptable; flexible
a pliant system
-
yielding readily to influence; compliant
Related Words
See flexible.
Other Word Forms
- nonpliancy noun
- nonpliant adjective
- nonpliantly adverb
- nonpliantness noun
- pliancy noun
- pliantly adverb
- pliantness noun
- unpliancy noun
- unpliant adjective
- unpliantly adverb
- unpliantness noun
Etymology
Origin of pliant
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, present participle of the verb plier ply 2; -ant
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.
They see many CEOs as overpaid autocrats who pack boards with pliant, fee-hungry directors with no skin in the game.
From Barron's
His death—of natural causes—brought to an end a 36-year period in which a prone and pliant Spain submitted to his authoritarian rule.
It’s pliant but still has a little chew, and it behaves beautifully whether you cook it on the stove or leave it to swell overnight in milk.
From Salon
"As the music began, my hand set the brush aside and I dipped my finger into the soft, pliant paint," she said.
From BBC
Bass portrayed her city as pliant and fierce enough to take the hits and bounce back stronger.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
