pliant

[plahy-uhnt]

adjective

1. bending readily; flexible; supple; adaptable.

   She manipulated the pliant clay.

   Synonyms: flexile, pliable

2. easily influenced; yielding to others; compliant.

   He has a pliant nature.

   Synonyms: docile, tractable, manageable, flexile, pliable

pliant

/ ˈplaɪənt /

adjective

1. easily bent; supple

   a pliant young tree

2. easily modified; adaptable; flexible

   a pliant system

3. yielding readily to influence; compliant

Other Word Forms

• pliantly adverb
• pliancy noun
• pliantness noun
• nonpliancy noun
• nonpliant adjective
• nonpliantly adverb
• nonpliantness noun
• unpliancy noun
• unpliant adjective
• unpliantly adverb
• unpliantness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pliant¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, present participle of the verb plier ply ²; -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of pliant¹

C14: from Old French, from plier to fold, bend; see _ply ²

Synonym Study

See flexible.

Example Sentences

His pliant nature makes him a bullying magnet, including by Rain’s friends.

From Salon

"As the music began, my hand set the brush aside and I dipped my finger into the soft, pliant paint," she said.

From BBC

From his perspective, that means Ukraine's unacceptable ambition to be part of a prosperous, democratic Europe rather than returning to Moscow's orbit and become a pliant, satellite nation like Belarus.

From BBC

Bass portrayed her city as pliant and fierce enough to take the hits and bounce back stronger.

From Los Angeles Times

Far-right influencers and talking heads quickly learned to prey on pliant minds, disseminating untruths via short-form video content that users would see as factual.

From Salon

Related Words

• compliant 
• docile 
• pliable