supple

[suhp-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR supple ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sup·pler, sup·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), sup·pled, sup·pling.

to make or become supple.

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 “bent over”; cf. complex), or to plācāre to placate¹ (thus meaning “in the attitude of a suppliant”); (v.) Middle English supplen to soften, derivative of the noun (compare Old French asoplir)

Related formssup·ple·ness, nounun·sup·ple, adjectiveun·sup·ple·ness, nounun·sup·p·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for suppleness

resiliency, pliability, affability, plasticity, give, spring, pliancy, elasticity, bounce, complaisance, tractability, springiness, malleability, compliance, ductility, resilience, docility, flaccidity, adjustability, extensibility

Examples from the Web for suppleness

Contemporary Examples of suppleness

I do not have the suppleness of 20 but I have something much more important… And you see that when you see the show.
Philippe Petit’s Moment of Concern Walking the WTC Tightrope
Anthony Haden-Guest
August 8, 2014
According to Clark, the “hypertrophic forms of masculinity” then prevalent favored “unyielding forcefulness” over “suppleness.”
The Utterly Pointless First World War
Michael F. Bishop
May 22, 2013

Historical Examples of suppleness

The suppleness of the Angora's tail is also a mark of fine breeding.
Concerning Cats
Helen M. Winslow
He ran off as if his limbs had regained their youthful strength and suppleness.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov
He lacked alike the sagacity, the foresight, and the suppleness of Leopold.
William Pitt and the Great War
John Holland Rose
During this operation the skin had dried, and consequently lost its suppleness.
Practical Taxidermy
Montagu Browne
She had caught a glimpse of Wilfrid's suppleness and selfishness.
Sandra Belloni, Complete
George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for suppleness

supple

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 Formssuppleness, noun

Word Origin for supple

C13: from Old French souple, from Latin supplex bowed

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 suppleness

supple

adj.

c.1300, from Old French souple "pliant, flexible," from Gallo-Romance *supples, from Latin supplex (genitive supplicis) "submissive, humbly begging," literally "bending, kneeling down," thought to be an altered form of *supplacos "humbly pleading, appeasing," from sub "under" + placare "appease" (see placate).