pliancy

noun

pli·​an·​cy ˈplī-ən(t)-sē How to pronounce pliancy (audio)
: the quality or state of being pliant

Examples of pliancy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The leave-in Hair Dew brings pliancy to hair, and a good pick for thirsty strands is the What the Hemp deep moisture mask, which deeply moisturizes but feels light as air. Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2023 In surrendering to remoteness and distance—what can’t be seen or decided, whether because of memory’s pliancy or people’s opacity—the show birthed something new, or seemed to. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023 Yet throughout there is a constant, distinctive search for a simple, singing sense of expression, for a pliancy of line, for a sophistication and sensitivity that lay in more than technical precision. David Allen, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2022 But on Wednesday night, those Mach-one speeds tended to shear off the symphony’s character — especially in the Andante, which had little of the movement’s familiar pliancy and lackadaisical levity. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2022 But theater artists, filmmakers and novelists, drawn to the interior richness of Chekhov’s dramas, have discovered not only the timeliness of his untimely work but also its aesthetic pliancy and openness. Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pliancy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

pli(ant) + -ancy

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pliancy was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near pliancy

Cite this Entry

“Pliancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pliancy. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on pliancy

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!