pliant

Adjective
US[plahy-uhnt]/ˈplaɪənt/2 syllables
Synonyms: plasticductilemalleablepliabletensiletractileelasticflexiblebendablewaxy

Open English WordNet

Adjective (4)

  1. capable of being influenced or formed“the plastic minds of children”“a pliant nature”Synonyms: plasticOpposite unimpressionableSimilar impressionable, waxy
  2. capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out“ductile copper”“malleable metals such as gold”“they soaked the leather to made it pliable”“pliant molten glass”“made of highly tensile steel alloy”Synonyms: ductilemalleablepliabletensiletractileOpposite unformedSimilar formed
  3. able to adjust readily to different conditions“a flexible personality”“an elastic clause in a contract”“a pliable person”Synonyms: elasticflexiblepliableOpposite unadaptableSimilar adaptable
  4. capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking“a flexible wire”“a pliant young tree”Synonyms: bendablepliablewaxyOpposite inflexibleSimilar flexible, flexile

Related words pliantness noun, pliancy noun

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docileadjective

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Pli′ant adjective

Origin: F. pliant, p. pr. of plier to bend. See Ply, verb

1. Capable of plying or bending; readily yielding to force or pressure without breaking; flexible; pliable; lithe; limber; plastic; as, a pliant thread; pliant wax. Also used figuratively: Easily influenced for good or evil; tractable; as, a pliant heart.

The will was then ductile and pliant to right reason.— Robert South

2. Favorable to pliancy. rare “A pliant hour.” William Shakespeare — Pli′wb-a1′>′ant·ly, adverb — Pli′wb-a1′>′ant·ness, noun

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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