pliant

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pli·ant

 (plī′ənt)
adj.
1. Easily bent or flexed; pliable. See Synonyms at malleable.
2. Easily altered or modified to fit conditions; adaptable: a pliant poetic form.
3. Yielding readily to influence or domination; compliant: a pliant colonial regime.

[Middle English, from Old French, present participle of plier, to fold, bend, from Latin plicāre; see plek- in Indo-European roots.]

pli′an·cy, pli′ant·ness n.
pli′ant·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pliant

(ˈplaɪənt)
adj
1. easily bent; supple: a pliant young tree.
2. easily modified; adaptable; flexible: a pliant system.
3. yielding readily to influence; compliant
[C14: from Old French, from plier to fold, bend; see ply2]
ˈpliancy, ˈpliantness n
ˈpliantly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pli•ant

(ˈplaɪ ənt)

adj.
1. pliable.
2. having a variety of uses; adaptable.
[1300–50; Middle English < Old French, present participle of plier to bend (see ply2); see -ant]
pli′an•cy, pli′ant•ness, n.
pli′ant•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.pliant - capable of being influenced or formed; "the plastic minds of children"; "a pliant nature"
impressible, impressionable, waxy - easily impressed or influenced; "an impressionable youngster"; "an impressionable age"; "a waxy mind"
2.pliant - capable of being shaped or bent or drawn outpliant - capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; "ductile copper"; "malleable metals such as gold"; "they soaked the leather to made it pliable"; "pliant molten glass"; "made of highly tensile steel alloy"
formed - having or given a form or shape
3.pliant - able to adjust readily to different conditions; "an adaptable person"; "a flexible personality"; "an elastic clause in a contract"
adaptable - capable of adapting (of becoming or being made suitable) to a particular situation or use; "to succeed one must be adaptable"; "the frame was adaptable to cloth bolts of different widths"
4.pliant - capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breakingpliant - capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking; "a flexible wire"; "a pliant young tree"
flexile, flexible - able to flex; able to bend easily; "slim flexible birches"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

pliant

adjective
1. impressionable, susceptible, manageable, adaptable, compliant, yielding, pliable, easily led, tractable, biddable, persuadable, influenceable She's proud and stubborn under that pliant exterior.
2. flexible, plastic, supple, lithe, pliable, tensile, bendy, ductile, bendable pliant young willows
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

pliant

adjective
1. Capable of being shaped, bent, or drawn out, as by hammering or pressure:
2. Capable of adapting or being adapted:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

pliant

[ˈplaɪənt] ADJ (fig) → dócil, flexible
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pliant

[ˈplaɪənt] adj
(= easily influenced) [person] → docile
(= easily bent) [stem, branches] → flexible
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
References in periodicals archive ?
The vast acreages were later given to those who chose pliantly to serve the colonial master or to British plantation companies.
Samara city packs pliantly of historySamara City, located in Southwestern Russia, is the countrys sixth largest city.
She fooled around more brutally, less pliantly, than Connie did--that was part of it.
We have pliantly followed America into a war where the United States has acted without marshalling the necessary forces, the necessary coalition and the necessary assets to achieve a military and strategic victory.