Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective pliant contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pliant are adaptable, ductile, malleable, plastic, and pliable. While all these words mean "susceptible of being modified in form or nature," pliant may stress flexibility and sometimes connote springiness.

an athletic shoe with a pliant sole

When is it sensible to use adaptable instead of pliant?

While in some cases nearly identical to pliant, adaptable implies the capability of being easily modified to suit other conditions, needs, or uses.

computer hardware that is adaptable

Where would ductile be a reasonable alternative to pliant?

The synonyms ductile and pliant are sometimes interchangeable, but ductile applies to what can be drawn out or extended with ease.

ductile metals such as copper

When could malleable be used to replace pliant?

Although the words malleable and pliant have much in common, malleable applies to what may be pressed or beaten into shape.

the malleable properties of gold

When would plastic be a good substitute for pliant?

In some situations, the words plastic and pliant are roughly equivalent. However, 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

When is pliable a more appropriate choice than pliant?

The words pliable and pliant can be used in similar contexts, but pliable suggests something easily bent, folded, twisted, or manipulated.

pliable rubber tubing

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 pliant Both sides were able to claim victory through their pliant national media. Sushant Singh, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025 The 19 Best White Hydrangeas for Your Garden The 12 Best Pruning Shears to Keep Your Garden in Check In early spring, hydrangea produce fresh, slightly pliant new growth known as softwood, which make excellent cuttings for propagating. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025 Political parties have been dissolved by a pliant judiciary. Sun Narin, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 During subsequent decades, the Soviets and its pliant regime were defeated, the country was racked by civil war, and various Islamist groups became ascendant, including the Mujahedin, Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Isis-Khorasan. Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pliant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pliant
Adjective
  • Strategies will remain flexible to adjust to changing fire behavior, terrain, and resource availability.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • By learning from nature’s most flexible swimmer, the octopus, researchers hope to overcome these challenges and make underwater machines more capable, adaptable, and sustainable.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This actually perfect pie crust is very, very pliable.
    Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025
  • This causes the eardrum, a thin, pliable membrane, to stretch.
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • An in-person visit with the singer was leaked on social media in January 2024 where the pair shared an intimate moment through a plastic divider.
    DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Each cell had two toilets and two small tanks of water, for washing and drinking; each man was given a plastic cup and a quarter of a bar of soap.
    Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pliant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pliant. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pliant

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