adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pliable
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from French, equivalent to pli(er) “to fold, bend” ( see ply 2) + -able -able
Explanation
Pliable means bendable but not breakable. Wax is pliable, good leather is pliable. If you describe a person as pliable, it usually means that he's easily influenced. When Madame barks "Plier!" (rhymes with "okay") in ballet class, all the students obediently bend their knees into a graceful semi-crouch. Plier is French for bend and it's the root of the word pliable. The word pliable itself is quite pliable, an apt description for everything from building materials to a person's character.
Vocabulary lists containing pliable
Power Suffix: -able
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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100 SAT words Beginning with "P"
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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.
Thaw the pastry according to the package directions — ideally in the refrigerator, where it can become pliable without turning warm or sticky — and unfold it gently.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Unlike the soft, pliable versions of the Christ child in his early Madonnas, this is a monumental, muscular putto, using his strength to hold that garland aloft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
Humans are suggestible creatures with extremely pliable memories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
This paradox raised a fundamental question: how can the planet's solid center appear firm yet strangely pliable?
From Science Daily ● Dec. 10, 2025
She rose and tentatively picked up one of the slender, pliable saplings from the pile.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
