supple

American  

[suhp-uhl] / ˈsʌp əl /

adjective

suppler, supplest

1. bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed; pliant; flexible.

   a supple bough.

2. characterized by ease in bending; limber; lithe.

   supple movements.

3. characterized by ease, responsiveness, and adaptability in mental action.

4. compliant or yielding.

5. obsequious; servile.

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verb (used with or without object)

suppled, suppling

1. to make or become supple.

supple British  

/ ˈsʌpəl /

adjective

1. bending easily without damage

2. capable of or showing easy or graceful movement; lithe

3. mentally flexible; responding readily

4. disposed to agree, sometimes to the point of servility

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verb

1. rare to make or become supple

Other Word Forms

• suppleness noun
• unsupple adjective
• unsuppleness noun
• unsupply adverb

Etymology

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 fold ¹, bend (thus meaning “bent over”; cf. complex), or to plācāre to placate ¹ (thus meaning “in the attitude of a suppliant”); (v.) Middle English supplen to soften, derivative of the noun (compare Old French asoplir )

Explanation

Something or someone that is supple bends and moves easily, like a contortionist at a circus sideshow. If you can wrap your legs around your neck, you most likely have a supple body. Supple is often used as an adjective describing a body — such as a dancer’s; a fabric — such as soft leather; or a sound — such as an accomplished singer’s voice. This makes for a strange supple family, but all of its members can move with ease and flexibility. More idiomatically, supple can also be used to describe a mind. In this sense, it does not mean “easily brainwashed,” but has a more positive association with the open-mindedness of free-thinkers.

Example Sentences

The finished egg salad should feel structured but supple.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Its supple leather, fluid silhouette and three sizes allow it to slip effortlessly and intimately into the hand, over the shoulder or across the body.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

The Grateful Dead’s commitment to loose improvisation, to stretching songs out until they became gummy and supple, helped set it apart from more traditional rock groups.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Last week, one of Italy's top luxury brands, Prada, invited journalists to its Scandicci factory outside Florence, showing the step-by-step transformation of supple leather into luxury handbags.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

On the track, while other riders flailed and winced and scratched their way around, the Iceman “sat chilly,” as loose as water, his legs and hands supple and still.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• agile
• elastic
• flexible
• graceful
• limber
• lithe
• malleable
• pliable
• pliant
• resilient
• springy
• svelte
• wiry