Synonyms of pliant

pliant

adjective

ˈplī-ənt 

as in flexible

able to bend easily without breaking

a pliant branch bent low with the weight of ripe fruit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flexible
• pliable
• plastic
• supple
• floppy
• limber
• willowy
• lissom
• bendy
• lithe
• adaptable
• lissome
• malleable
• yielding
• lithesome
• elastic
• ductile
• modifiable
• limp
• variable
• fluid
• flaccid
• kneadable
• semiflexible
• droopy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rigid
• stiff
• stiffened
• inflexible
• inelastic
• unyielding
• fragile
• brittle
• nonmalleable
• breakable

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective pliant contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pliant are adaptable, ductile, malleable, plastic, and pliable. While all these words mean "susceptible of being modified in form or nature," pliant may stress flexibility and sometimes connote springiness.

an athletic shoe with a pliant sole

When is it sensible to use adaptable instead of pliant?

While in some cases nearly identical to pliant, adaptable implies the capability of being easily modified to suit other conditions, needs, or uses.

computer hardware that is adaptable

Where would ductile be a reasonable alternative to pliant?

The synonyms ductile and pliant are sometimes interchangeable, but ductile applies to what can be drawn out or extended with ease.

ductile metals such as copper

When could malleable be used to replace pliant?

Although the words malleable and pliant have much in common, malleable applies to what may be pressed or beaten into shape.

the malleable properties of gold

When would plastic be a good substitute for pliant?

In some situations, the words plastic and pliant are roughly equivalent. However, plastic applies to substances soft enough to be molded yet capable of hardening into the desired fixed form.

plastic materials allow the sculptor greater freedom

When is pliable a more appropriate choice than pliant?

The words pliable and pliant can be used in similar contexts, but pliable suggests something easily bent, folded, twisted, or manipulated.

pliable rubber tubing

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of pliant

The prime minister may not be able to sustain this image forever, despite the good marketing and pliant press. —Rohit Lamba, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2024

But time has not dimmed the wattage of his recall for shenanigans having to do with pliant jury members and bags of francs. —Steven Gaydos, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024

Some are incredibly brittle, liable to fall apart when they’re made or when they’re slotted between the electrodes; others are softer and more pliant, but can’t be exposed to moisture. —Gregory Barber, WIRED, 6 June 2022

Or, scarier still, from complete GOP control of Washington, with Trump in the White House, his supplicants running Congress and a pliant Supreme Court dismantling any guardrails keeping a vengeance-minded president in check. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024