pliable

/ˈplaɪəbəl/

/ˈplaɪəbəl/

Other forms: pliably

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.

Definitions of pliable

1. adjective

   capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
   synonyms: ductile, malleable, pliant, tensile, tractile

   formed

   having or given a form or shape
2. adjective

   capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking
   synonyms: bendable, pliant, waxy

   flexible, flexile

   able to flex; able to bend easily
3. adjective

   able to adjust readily to different conditions
   synonyms: elastic, flexible, pliant

   adaptable

   capable of adapting (of becoming or being made suitable) to a particular situation or use
4. adjective

   susceptible to being led or directed
   synonyms: fictile

   susceptible

   (often followed by `of' or `to') yielding readily to or capable of