Pliant
adjective
Easily bent or flexible.
The young tree is pliant and it can bend without breaking.
adjective
Easily influenced or controlled by others.
He was pliant and always did what his friends suggested.
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Ready to accept change; easily adaptable.
With a pliant mind, she readily adapts to any situation.
adjective
Easily bent or flexible.
The young tree is pliant and it can bend without breaking.
adjective
Easily influenced or controlled by others.
He was pliant and always did what his friends suggested.
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Ready to accept change; easily adaptable.
With a pliant mind, she readily adapts to any situation.
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Physical Flexibility
Indicates an object's or material's ability to bend easily without breaking or permanent deformation.
Leather shoes become more pliant with use.
Pro Tip 2/3Metaphorical Use
Sometimes used metaphorically to describe abstract concepts that can be 'shaped' or influenced.
Her pliant imagination conjured up vivid stories.
Pro Tip 3/3Common Mistake
Don't confuse 'pliant' with 'compliant.' 'Pliant' is about physical bendability, not necessarily following rules.
The rubber hose was unexpectedly pliant in the cold.
Pro Tip 1/3Physical Flexibility
Indicates an object's or material's ability to bend easily without breaking or permanent deformation.
Leather shoes become more pliant with use.
Pro Tip 2/3Metaphorical Use
Sometimes used metaphorically to describe abstract concepts that can be 'shaped' or influenced.
Her pliant imagination conjured up vivid stories.
Pro Tip 3/3Common Mistake
Don't confuse 'pliant' with 'compliant.' 'Pliant' is about physical bendability, not necessarily following rules.
The rubber hose was unexpectedly pliant in the cold.
Pro Tip 1/3Physical Flexibility
Indicates an object's or material's ability to bend easily without breaking or permanent deformation.
Leather shoes become more pliant with use.
Pro Tip 2/3Metaphorical Use
Sometimes used metaphorically to describe abstract concepts that can be 'shaped' or influenced.
Her pliant imagination conjured up vivid stories.
Pro Tip 3/3Common Mistake
Don't confuse 'pliant' with 'compliant.' 'Pliant' is about physical bendability, not necessarily following rules.
The rubber hose was unexpectedly pliant in the cold.
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Quote examples
Bharati Mukherjee
Indian Writer
In traditional Hindu families like ours, men provided and women were provided for. My father was a patriarch and I a pliant daughter. The neighborhood I'd grown up in was homogeneously Hindu, Bengali-speaking, and middle-class. I didn't expect myself to ever disobey or disappoint my father by setting my own goals and taking charge of my future.
Quote examples
Winnie Byanyima
Ugandan Politician
Money doesn't just buy a nice car; it also buys better education or healthcare. Increasingly, it can buy impunity from justice, a pliant media, favorable laws, business advantage, and even elections. This, in turn, perpetuates the policies that allow a tiny elite to accumulate ever more wealth at the expense of the majority.
Quote examples
Graydon Carter
American Journalist
A workday lunch that lasts as long as a transcontinental flight is an impossibility for all but the most pliant and footloose of food tourists. To get in the game, you need a thick wallet, an adventurous palate, and a whole lot of time.
Quote examples
Bharati Mukherjee
Indian Writer
In traditional Hindu families like ours, men provided and women were provided for. My father was a patriarch and I a pliant daughter. The neighborhood I'd grown up in was homogeneously Hindu, Bengali-speaking, and middle-class. I didn't expect myself to ever disobey or disappoint my father by setting my own goals and taking charge of my future.
Quote examples
Winnie Byanyima
Ugandan Politician
Money doesn't just buy a nice car; it also buys better education or healthcare. Increasingly, it can buy impunity from justice, a pliant media, favorable laws, business advantage, and even elections. This, in turn, perpetuates the policies that allow a tiny elite to accumulate ever more wealth at the expense of the majority.
Quote examples
Graydon Carter
American Journalist
A workday lunch that lasts as long as a transcontinental flight is an impossibility for all but the most pliant and footloose of food tourists. To get in the game, you need a thick wallet, an adventurous palate, and a whole lot of time.
Example 1 of 3
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