English Dictionary |
PLIABILITY
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Dictionary entry overview: What does pliability mean?
• PLIABILITY (noun)
The noun PLIABILITY has 2 senses:
1. the property of being easily bent without breaking
2. adaptability of mind or character
Familiarity information: PLIABILITY used as a noun is rare.
Dictionary entry details
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)
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