flexible

flexible
adjective
1)

flexible tubing

Syn:
pliable, supple, bendable, pliant, plastic; elastic, stretchy, whippy, springy, resilient, bouncy; informal bendy
Ant:
rigid
2)

a flexible arrangement

Syn:
adaptable, adjustable, variable, versatile, open-ended, open, free
Ant:
inflexible
3)

the need to be flexible toward tenants

Syn:
accommodating, amenable, willing to compromise, cooperative, tolerant, easygoing
Ant:
intransigent
••
flexible, elastic, limber, pliable, pliant, resilient, supple
If you can bend over and touch your toes, you are flexible. But a dancer or gymnast is limber, an adjective that specifically applies to a body that has been brought into condition through training (to stay limber, she did yoga every day). Flexible applies to whatever can be bent without breaking, whether or not it returns to its original shape (a flexible plastic hose; a flexible electrical conduit); it does not necessarily refer, as limber does, to the human body. Unlike flexible, resilient implies the ability to spring back into shape after being bent or compressed, or to recover one's health or spirits quickly (so young and resilient that she was back at work in a week). Elastic is usually applied to substances or materials that are easy to stretch or expand and that quickly recover their shape or size (pants with an elastic waist), while supple is applied to whatever is easily bent, twisted, or folded without breaking or cracking (a soft, supple leather). When applied to the human body, supple suggests the ability to move effortlessly. Pliant and pliable may used to describe either people or things that are easily bent or manipulated. Pliant suggests a tendency to bend without force or pressure from the outside, while pliable suggests the use of force or submission to another's will. A pliant person is merely adaptable, but a pliable person is easy to influence and eager to please.

Thesaurus of popular words. 2014.

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  • flexible — [ flɛksibl ] adj. • 1314; lat. flexibilis, de flexus, p. p. de flectere → fléchir 1 ♦ Qui se laisse courber, plier. ⇒ élastique, pliable, souple. Jonc, roseau flexible. Lame d acier flexible. Cou flexible. Rendre flexible. ⇒ assouplir. Une femme… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • flexible — flex‧i‧ble [ˈfleksbl] adjective 1. a person, plan etc that is flexible can change or be changed easily to suit any new situation: • flexible investment opportunities • More firms are offering flexible benefits (= extra money or other advantages …   Financial and business terms

  • flexible — adjetivo 1. (ser / estar) Que puede doblarse fácilmente sin romperse: Últimamente estoy muy flexible porque hago mucha gimnasia. Este material es muy flexible. Tiene el cuello muy flexible. 2. (antepuesto / pospuesto) Que se acomoda o cede con… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • flexible — adj. de t. g. Souple. Qui est ployant, qui est aisé à ployer. Il n y a rien de plus flexible que l ozier. On dit qu Un homme a la voix flexible, pour dire, qu Il a la voix souple & aisée, ensorte qu il passe facilement d un ton à un autre.… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Flexible — Flex i*ble, a. [L. flexibilis: cf. F. flexible.] 1. Capable of being flexed or bent; admitting of being turned, bowed, or twisted, without breaking; pliable; yielding to pressure; not stiff or brittle. [1913 Webster] When the splitting wind Makes …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flexible — (Del lat. flexibĭlis). 1. adj. Que tiene disposición para doblarse fácilmente. 2. Que en un enfrentamiento se pliega con facilidad a la opinión, a la voluntad o a la actitud de otro o de otros. Carácter, persona flexible. 3. Que no se sujeta a… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • flexible — early 15c., from M.Fr. flexible or directly from L. flexibilis that may be bent, pliant, flexible, yielding; figuratively tractable, inconstant, from flexus, pp. of flectere to bend, of uncertain origin. Related: Flexibly …   Etymology dictionary

  • flexible — [adj1] pliable, bendable adjustable, bending, ductile, elastic, extensible, extensile, flexile, formable, formative, impressionable, like putty*, limber, lithe, malleable, moldable, plastic, pliant, soft, spongy, springy, stretch, stretchable,… …   New thesaurus

  • flexible — [flek′sə bəl] adj. [ME < OFr < L flexibilis < flexus: see FLEX1] 1. able to bend without breaking; not stiff or rigid; easily bent; pliant 2. easily persuaded or influenced; tractable 3. adjustable to change; capable of modification [a… …   English World dictionary

  • flexible — I adjective adaptable, adjustable, bendable, bending, capable of conforming to new situations, capable of responding to changing situations, disposed to yield, ductile, easily bent, easily managed, elastic, facilis, flexibilis, flexile, formable …   Law dictionary

  • flexible — work …   Dictionary of sociology

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