flex·i·ble

[flek-suh-buhl]
adjective
1.
capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent: a flexible ruler.
2.
susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable: a flexible schedule.
3.
willing or disposed to yield; pliable: a flexible personality.
noun
4.
a flexible substance or material, as rubber or leather.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin flexibilis pliant, easily bent. See flex1, -ible

flex·i·bil·i·ty, flex·i·ble·ness, noun
flex·i·bly, adverb
hy·per·flex·i·bil·i·ty, noun
hy·per·flex·i·ble, adjective
hy·per·flex·i·ble·ness, noun
hy·per·flex·i·b·ly, adverb
non·flex·i·bil·i·ty, noun
non·flex·i·ble, adjective
non·flex·i·ble·ness, noun
non·flex·i·b·ly, adverb
un·flex·i·bil·i·ty, noun
un·flex·i·ble, adjective
un·flex·i·b·ly, adverb


1. pliable, elastic, supple. Flexible, limber, pliant refer to that which bends easily. Flexible refers to that which is capable of being bent and adds sometimes the idea of compressibility or expansibility: a flexible piece of rubber hose. Limber is especially applied to the body to refer to ease of movement; it resembles flexible except that there is an idea of even greater ease in bending: a limber dancer. Pliant stresses an inherent quality or tendency to bend that does not require force or pressure from the outside; it may mean merely adaptable or may have a derogatory sense: a pliant character. 2. tractable, compliant.


1. stiff. 2. rigid.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To Flexible
00:10
Flexible is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
flexible (ˈflɛksɪbəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  Also: flexile able to be bent easily without breaking; pliable
2.  adaptable or variable: flexible working hours
3.  able to be persuaded easily; tractable
 
flexi'bility
 
n
 
'flexibleness
 
n
 
'flexibly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

flexible
early 15c., from L. flexibilis "that may be bent, pliant," from flexus, pp. of flectere "to bend," of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

flexible flex·i·ble (flěk'sə-bəl)
adj.

  1. Capable of being bent or flexed.

  2. Capable of being bent repeatedly without injury or damage.


flex'i·bil'i·ty or flex'i·ble·ness n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Less testosterone makes them more flexible than their muscular counterparts.
Other scientists probing different parts of the brain's memory machinery are
  similarly finding that memory is inherently flexible.
They might also pave the way for flexible thin-film solar cells and bright,
  roll-up color displays.
New road construction, improved road management, and more flexible work
  schedules could all provide some gridlock reduction.
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