English Dictionary

PLIABILITY

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pliability mean? 

PLIABILITY (noun)
  The noun PLIABILITY has 2 senses:

1. the property of being easily bent without breakingplay

2. adaptability of mind or characterplay

  Familiarity information: PLIABILITY used as a noun is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


PLIABILITY (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

The property of being easily bent without breaking

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

bendability; pliability

Hypernyms ("pliability" is a kind of...):

flexibility; flexibleness (the property of being flexible; easily bent or shaped)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pliability"):

pliancy; pliantness; suppleness (the property of being pliant and flexible)

Derivation:

pliable (capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking)

pliable (capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Adaptability of mind or character

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

pliability; pliancy; pliantness; suppleness

Context example:

he increased the leanness and suppleness of the organization

Hypernyms ("pliability" is a kind of...):

adaptability (the ability to change (or be changed) to fit changed circumstances)

Derivation:

pliable (able to adjust readily to different conditions)


 Context examples 


A sulphur-containing amino acid, methionine improves the tone and pliability of skin, hair, and strengthens nails.

(Methionine, NCI Thesaurus)

One afternoon in January, Mrs. Fairfax had begged a holiday for Adele, because she had a cold; and, as Adele seconded the request with an ardour that reminded me how precious occasional holidays had been to me in my own childhood, I accorded it, deeming that I did well in showing pliability on the point.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"If you keep your mouth shut, you won't put your foot in it." (English proverb)

"A good chief gives, he does not take." (Native American proverb, Mohawk)

"Shall the sheep go astray, they will be led by the ill goat." (Arabic proverb)

"He who digs a pit for another falls into it himself." (Czech proverb)



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