malleable

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adjective mal·lea·ble \ˈma-lē-ə-bəl, ˈmal-yə-bəl, ˈma-lə-bəl\

Definition of malleable

1 : capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers
2a : capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influencesb : having a capacity for adaptive change

malleability

play \ˌma-lē-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē, ˌmal-yə-, ˌma-lə-\ noun

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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 of malleable from the Web

The optimal slime is not too wet, not too sticky, stretchy and malleable.

— Washington Post, "Summer of Slime: DIY goo takes over tweens’ lives", 22 June 2017
Flexibility isn't simply a matter of malleable hours or the ability to work remotely.

— cleveland.com, "Top Workplaces 2017: In case you missed it", 19 June 2017
Workplace culture is more malleable at smaller start-ups which can have an easier time becoming more inclusive than the likes of Google and Facebook which already have large, sprawling workforces.

— rachel sandler, USA TODAY, "Technology start-ups founded by women hire more women, study finds", 14 June 2017
At the time of birth, a baby's skull is soft and malleable, with gaps in between the plates of the bone (this is why babies have a soft spot at the top of their head!).

— sarah schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "Newborn With Severe Head Molding Shows How Much Babies Go Through During Birth", 12 June 2017
Drummer Jack DeJohnette and keyboardist John Medeski have careers threaded with wide-open musical strategies in which structure ranges from malleable to spontaneously evolving.

— martin wisckol, Orange County Register, "Scofield, Hudson touch on jazz majesty at Playboy fest", 11 June 2017
So far, of all the people who have entered the administration hoping to manipulate the president, the only ones who have proved to be malleable are the would-be manipulators themselves.

— jessica pressler, Daily Intelligencer, "Gary Cohn Has Profited From Big Mistakes. So Why Not Go Work for Trump?", 11 June 2017
Following Comey’s ouster, fears grew that Trump would tap a malleable ally who might politicize the agency.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Trump Goes Full Bridgegate in Naming James Comey’s Replacement", 7 June 2017
The result is a model of coral calcification that starts with a malleable form of calcium carbonate, called amorphous calcium carbonate.

— steph yin, New York Times, "In Coral Skeletons, Microscopic Portraits of Resilience?", 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malleable'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

There is a hint about the origins of "malleable" in its first definition. The earliest uses of the word, which first appeared in English in the 14th century, referred primarily to metals that could be reshaped by beating with a hammer. The Middle English word malliable comes to us from Medieval Latin malleabilis, which in turn derives from the Latin verb malleare, meaning "to hammer." "Malleare" itself was created from the Latin word for "hammer": "malleus." If you have guessed that "maul" and "mallet," other English words for specific types of hammers, can also be traced back to "malleus," you have hit the nail on the head.

Origin and Etymology of malleable

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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