malleable

adjective

mal·​lea·​ble ˈma-lē-ə-bəl 

ˈmal-yə-bəl, 

ˈma-lə-bəl

1

: capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers

2

a

: capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences

b

: having a capacity for adaptive change

Did you know?

Language is constantly evolving; the meanings, spellings, and pronunciations of words are reshaped over time. Take, for example, the Latin noun malleus, meaning "hammer." This word was adapted to create the Latin verb malleare, meaning "to hammer," which led eventually to the English adjective malleable. Malleable originally meant "capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer," and over time adopted the broader sense "capable of being shaped, altered, or controlled." If you guessed that maul and mallet, other English words for specific types of hammers, are also modeled from malleus, you have hit the nail on the head.

Synonyms of malleable

• plastic
• adaptable

Choose the Right Synonym for malleable

plastic, pliable, pliant, ductile, malleable, adaptable mean susceptible of being modified in form or nature.

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

pliable suggests something easily bent, folded, twisted, or manipulated.

pliable rubber tubing

pliant may stress flexibility and sometimes connote springiness.

an athletic shoe with a pliant sole

ductile applies to what can be drawn out or extended with ease.

ductile metals such as copper

malleable applies to what may be pressed or beaten into shape.

the malleable properties of gold

adaptable implies the capability of being easily modified to suit other conditions, needs, or uses.

computer hardware that is adaptable

Examples of malleable in a Sentence

The brothers Warner presented a flexible, malleable world that defied Newton, a world of such plasticity that anything imaginable was possible. —Billy Collins, Wall Street Journal, 28–29 June 2008

At each landing the villagers had carved the wonderfully malleable silt into staircases, terraces, crenellations, and ziggurats. —Kenneth Brower, National Geographic Traveler, March 2000

The boy seemed to me possessed by a blind, invalid arrogance, and every human being, as his eye flicked over or flinched against them, became, immediately, as malleable as his mother and his father. —James Baldwin, The Evidence of Things Not Seen, 1985

the cult leader took advantage of the malleable, compliant personalities of his followers

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet more than 40 years later, its wisdom on the mental side of running remains surprisingly durable and malleable, applicable to almost any life practice. —Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026

Most commonly used during cooking and baking, as well as covering items for storage, aluminum foil is a malleable sheet of metal that's made by rolling elements together. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026

When breed standards are as malleable as flesh, the best way to control the future is to create it. —Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026

Some of these people Hughes had worked with and could count on, but others — namely, his cast — were unknown quantities, experienced in theater, less malleable than he was used to. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English malliable, from Medieval Latin malleabilis, from malleare to hammer, from Latin malleus hammer — more at maul

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

malleable

adjective

mal·​lea·​ble ˈmal-ē-ə-bəl 

ˈmal-(y)ə-bəl

1

: capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers

a malleable metal

2

: capable of being changed so as to fit new uses or situations : flexible, adaptable

malleability

ˌmal-ē-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

ˌmal-(y)ə-ˈbil-

noun