Dictionary.com

supple

[ suhp-uhl ]
/ ˈsʌp əl /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: supple / suppleness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, supĀ·pler, supĀ·plest.
bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed; pliant; flexible: a supple bough.
characterized by ease in bending; limber; lithe: supple movements.
characterized by ease, responsiveness, and adaptability in mental action.
compliant or yielding.
obsequious; servile.
verb (used with or without object), supĀ·pled, supĀ·pling.
to make or become supple.
QUIZ
TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON ā€œPRIDEā€ SYNONYMS
Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of ā€œpride.ā€
Question 1 of 7
What does "dignity" mean?

Origin of supple

1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English souple flexible, compliant <Old French: soft, yielding, lithe <Latin supplic- (stem of supplex) submissive, suppliant, equivalent to sup-sup- + -plic-, variously explained as akin to plicāre to fold1, bend (thus meaning ā€œbent overā€; cf. complex), or to plācāre to placate1 (thus meaning ā€œin the attitude of a suppliantā€); (v.) Middle English supplen to soften, derivative of the noun (compare Old French asoplir)

OTHER WORDS FROM supple

supĀ·pleĀ·ness, noununĀ·supĀ·ple, adjectiveunĀ·supĀ·pleĀ·ness, noununĀ·supĀ·pĀ·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use supple in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for supple

supple
/ (ˈsʌpəl) /

adjective
bending easily without damage
capable of or showing easy or graceful movement; lithe
mentally flexible; responding readily
disposed to agree, sometimes to the point of servility
verb
rare to make or become supple

Derived forms of supple

suppleness, noun

Word Origin for supple

C13: from Old French souple, from Latin supplex bowed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK