supple

1 of 2

adjective

sup·​ple ˈsə-pəl 

 also  ˈsü-

suppler ˈsə-p(ə-)lər  ; supplest ˈsə-p(ə-)ləst 

1

a

: compliant often to the point of obsequiousness

b

: readily adaptable or responsive to new situations

2

a

: capable of being bent or folded without creases, cracks, or breaks : pliant

supple leather

b

: able to perform bending or twisting movements with ease : limber

supple legs of a dancer

c

: easy and fluent without stiffness or awkwardness

sang with a lively, supple voice

—Douglas Watt

supplely

ˈsə-pə(l)-lē 

adverb

or supply

ˈsə-p(ə-)lē 

suppleness

ˈsə-pəl-nəs 

noun

supple

2 of 2

verb

suppled; suppling ˈsə-p(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to make pacific or complaisant

supple the tempers of your race

—Laurence Sterne

2

: to alleviate with a salve

3

: to make flexible or pliant

intransitive verb

: to become soft and pliant

Synonyms

Adjective

• bendy [chiefly British]
• flexible
• limber
• lissome
• lissom
• lithe
• lithesome
• pliable
• pliant
• willowy

Choose the Right Synonym for supple

elastic, resilient, springy, flexible, supple mean able to endure strain without being permanently injured.

elastic implies the property of resisting deformation by stretching.

an elastic waistband

resilient implies the ability to recover shape quickly when the deforming force or pressure is removed.

a resilient innersole

springy stresses both the ease with which something yields to pressure and the quickness of its return to original shape.

the cake is done when the top is springy

flexible applies to something which may or may not be resilient or elastic but which can be bent or folded without breaking.

flexible plastic tubing

supple applies to something that can be readily bent, twisted, or folded without any sign of injury.

supple leather

Examples of supple in a Sentence

Adjective

a dome tent outfitted with supple fiberglass tent poles

shoes made from supple leather

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The party is essentially a family firm, now fronted by his more politically supple daughter Marine Le Pen. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024

This particular ingredient contains a slew of amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals essential for plump, supple skin. —Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 29 Oct. 2024

Verb

For a slightly more elevated and edgy look, snag a sleek vest made with smooth and supple vegan suede or faux leather. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Jan. 2024

Thin Bifold Wallet belies its reasonable price point with noticeably supple full-grain leather, a trim sub-0.75-inch profile and precise stitching. —New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English souple, suple, supple "obedient, compliant, flexible, relaxed," borrowed from Anglo-French, "submissive, suppliant, light (of wind), soft, yielding" (continental Old French sople), going back to Latin supplic-, supplex "making humble entreaty, suppliant," probably from sub- sub- + -plic-, from the stem of plicāre "to fold, bend" — more at ply entry 3

Note: Old French so(u)ple belongs to a group of words in which loss of an unstressed penultimate vowel in Gallo-Romance was hindered by a preceding consonant cluster. So, in Pierre Fouché's notation, supplice(m) became *sopletse, then *soplets, and with deletion of the final consonants, sople (see Phonétique historique du français, vol. 3 [Paris, 1966], p. 472). Compare prince. — The -plic- of supplex has also been taken as based on placēre "to be pleasing, find favor" and plācāre "to make favorably disposed, placate," though this seems less likely on derivational and semantic grounds, and for plācāre impossible, given the long a.

Verb

Middle English souplen, supplen "to make humble, make flexible, soften," derivative of souple "obedient, compliant, supple entry 1"

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

supple

1 of 2 adjective

sup·​ple ˈsəp-əl 

suppler ˈsəp-(ə-)lər  ; supplest ˈsəp-(ə-)ləst 

1

: readily adaptable to new situations

a supple mind

2

a

: capable of being bent without creases or breaks : pliant

supple leather

b

: able to bend or twist with ease : limber

the supple legs of a dancer

suppleness

-əl-nəs 

noun

supple

2 of 2 verb

suppled; suppling ˈsəp-(ə-)liŋ 

: to make soft and easy to bend