PLIABILITY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 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 

• 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)