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Synonym Chooser

How is the word inflexible distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words rigid and stiff are common synonyms of inflexible. While all three words mean "difficult to bend," inflexible stresses lack of suppleness or pliability.

ski boots with inflexible soles

In what contexts can rigid take the place of inflexible?

The words rigid and inflexible are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rigid applies to something so stiff that it cannot be bent without breaking.

a rigid surfboard

When might stiff be a better fit than inflexible?

The meanings of stiff and inflexible largely overlap; however, stiff may apply to any degree of this condition.

stretching keeps your muscles from becoming stiff

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inflexibility
Adjective
Conversely, two-thirds of women who had flexibility in their hours planned to stay at their jobs up to five years, while less than 20% in inflexible positions said the same. Aisha Nyandoro, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025 However, severe, inflexible deformities that need aggressive bony carpentry to correct the spine’s alignment carry complication rates up to 60%, with major deformity surgeries posing a 1% mortality risk within a year. Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 Almost two-thirds of US workers struggle with volatile, inflexible work schedules, according to a new national Gallup survey, called the American Job Quality Study, published Tuesday. Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 10 June 2025 Combined with automations and data workflows, this strategy allows for plug-and-play adaptability across state lines, a rarity in the often inflexible world of ERP. Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for inflexibility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflexibility
Noun
  • Coupled with the severity of his illness, Kotton suspected a widespread parasitic infection.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 June 2025
  • Armor can reduce the severity of the hit and also affect how big the damage is.
    Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders targeting trans rights, including one stating the U.S. government would recognize only two unchangeable sexes and another barring trans people from military service.
    Brooke Sopelsa, NBC news, 13 May 2025
  • But these unchangeable circumstances don't stop military spouses from taking charge of their own lives.
    Grace Harrington, People.com, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • First, consider dynamic withdrawal strategies that adjust based on portfolio performance, rather than rigid rules.
    Bruce Helmer, Twin Cities, 21 June 2025
  • It's been 28 years since the rage virus — a virulent, bloodborne infection that sends its hosts into extreme, uncontrollable rage and states of undead decay — escaped a lab and decimated nearly all of the United Kingdom, now under rigid quarantine.
    EW.com, EW.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Officials accomplished this by re-evaluating risk, putting strict limits on how long a person can be held in isolation and expanding behavioral health programs.
    Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2025
  • The train itself is powered by energy-efficient DX-class diesel-electric locomotives, and the carrier maintains strict environmental protocols, including waste minimization and recycling practices on board.
    Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • Then Curry, rattled by the monumental reverb of Kyrie’s shot, hurried into a stubborn approach on the ensuing possession, missed a desperate 3 over Kevin Love, who used his length and a rare display of defensive intensity to deny Curry a good look.
    David Aldridge, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • All of which can be employed by Musk or anyone else using AI to target us with false political advertising tailored to our most stubborn biases, further dividing us, manipulating elections and solidifying what has already become a fascist state.
    Sal Recchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • This mindset reflects a broader trend amongst younger professionals seeing stability not as rigidity but as flexibility to grow and thrive in dynamic environments.
    Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
  • And so, a story of American racial rigidity also suggests a certain fluidity, constrained by the often harsh racist past that is an inescapable part of the country’s story.
    Rick Rojas, New York Times, 10 May 2025
Adjective
  • Othello review: Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal shine in an otherwise shaky production Before long, Henry has dripped poison in Dorian's ear — warning him of his beauty's impermanence — while Basil's unchanging snapshot of his youth has evoked a bitter envy in the impressionable young man.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The other unchanging reality is that Eastern pundits love analyzing the performance of California governors, since the sheer size of this state automatically propels whoever is governor into the status of a presidential possibility.
    Thomas D. Elias, Oc Register, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Millions of people living illegally in the United States are facing stiff new fines from the Trump administration as the White House pressures migrants to self-deport to their birth countries.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 27 June 2025
  • Trump’s 90-day pause on the stiffest tariffs is set to end on July 9.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inflexibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflexibility. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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