Pliant

Practice This Word

Easily bent or flexed; willing to yield or adapt to others' wishes or conditions.

adjective

Pliant

Easily bent or flexed; willing to yield or adapt to others' wishes or conditions.

adjective

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Imagine This

Imagine a slender reed that bends gracefully in the wind rather than snapping, and a negotiator who adapts plans smoothly to accommodate others’ needs.

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Sounds Like

PLA-yuhnt

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Looks Like

Similar in meaning to pliable, flexible, or malleable.

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Remember This

Pliant describes both physical flexibility and a willingness to adapt or comply; it shares the root plic- meaning to fold.

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Other Forms

pliabilitynoun

pliableadjective

pliablyadverb

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Connect With

flexible, adaptable, malleable, supple, compliant

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Note

Use pliant to describe someone or something that bends easily or is agreeable in a situation. It can carry a positive sense (flexibility) or a neutral to slightly negative nuance (too easily influenced) depending on context.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The metal remained pliant after heating, making it easy to shape into a new form.
Her stance in negotiations was pliant, willing to adjust terms to reach a compromise.

Synonyms

flexiblepliablemalleableadaptablesupplecompliant

Antonyms

rigidinflexibleunyieldingstubborn

Etymology

From Middle French pliant meaning 'folded, bending' from Latin plicare 'to fold', with the suffix -ant forming an adjective.

Mnemonic

Think of pliers bending metal: pliant sounds like pli-ER-ANT, reminding you that something pliant is bendable and can be shaped easily.

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