malleable
Americanadjective
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capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
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adaptable or tractable.
the malleable mind of a child.
- Synonyms:
- pliable, flexible, moldable, impressionable
- Antonyms:
- intractable, refractory
adjective
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(esp of metal) able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking
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able to be influenced; pliable or tractable
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Capable of great deformation without breaking, when subject to compressive stress. Gold is the most malleable metal.
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Compare ductile
Other Word Forms
- malleability noun
- malleableness noun
- malleably adverb
- nonmalleable adjective
- unmalleable adjective
Etymology
Origin of malleable
1350–1400; Middle English malliable < Medieval Latin malleābilis, equivalent to malle ( āre ) to hammer (derivative of Latin malleus hammer) + -ābilis -able
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.
That is bad news for big users of the malleable metal, from Michigan’s auto parts makers and Indiana’s recreational-vehicle factories to beer and soda companies.
“The microbiome is malleable and early in life is when it gets set up,” said Justin Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, who has led several studies on the infant microbiome.
It was malleable and oblong, perfectly complemented by a waft of boy-next-door blond locks and a brow that could convey emotion just as well as any histrionic soap dialogue.
From Salon
Some refer to her as the “Manchurian candidate,” said John Hart, a communication professor at Hawaii Pacific University, referring to the malleable cipher in the famous political thriller.
From Los Angeles Times
Rather than emphasizing unchangeable characteristics, he presented human beings as malleable over long stretches of time.
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.
