supple

adjective sup·ple \ ˈsə-pəl also ˈsü- \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of supple

suppler play \ˈsə-p(ə-)lər\; supplest play \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

play \ˈsə-pə(l)-lē\ or supply play \ˈsə-p(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

suppleness

play \ˈsə-pəl-nəs\ noun

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Examples of supple in a Sentence

a dome tent outfitted with supple fiberglass tent poles
shoes made from supple leather

Recent Examples of supple from the Web

L’Occitane’s hand creams make hands soft and supple without leaving them greasy, and the silver packaging makes spotting it in the depths of your purse so easy.

— shannon barbour, The Cut, "10 Products to Shop During Sephora’s Annual Sale," 16 Apr. 2018
Price’s supple voice proved conversant with everything from blues to soul.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Margo Price turns country inside out at Thalia Hall," 13 Apr. 2018
And Chris Robinson's swaggering, supple vocals and personal, poetic lyrics are some main reasons The Black Crowes were awesome.

— matt wake, AL.com, "Chris Robinson talks Black Crowes, Jimmy Page, drugs, hot new tour," 10 Apr. 2018
These refreshingly minimal gloves are for ladies, though Bentley makes soft, supple ones for men, too.

— Fortune, "The Best Non-Car Stuff to Buy From Bentley, Porsche, and BMW," 7 Apr. 2018
Subtle details of tempo and phrasing kept everything sounding spontaneous, aided at each turn by the BSO’s supple response.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Symphony in colorful form with Stenz, Steinbacher," 7 Apr. 2018
But some health experts believe that eating lots of antioxidant-rich foods (like fruits and vegetables) can keep skin supple and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and sag from head to toe.

— amanda macmillan, Health.com, "7 Things You Can and Can’t Do About Saggy Breasts," 20 Mar. 2018
Pinch Dumplings The Chinese dumplings served at Oriole Park are just as fresh and supple as the ones at Mount Vernon Marketplace.

— sarah meehan, baltimoresun.com, "We tried five new foods at Camden Yards. Here's what we thought.," 31 Mar. 2018
The vehicle was one of Volvo’s luxury models, with supple leather interiors.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "At Uber, a New C.E.O. Shifts Gears," 30 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of supple

Middle English souple, from Anglo-French suple, from Latin supplic-, supplex entreating for mercy, supplicant, perhaps from sub- + -plic- (akin to plicare to fold) — more at ply

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

supple Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of supple

elastic, resilient, springy, flexible, supple mean able to endure strain without being permanently injured. elastic implies the property of resisting deformation by stretching.