malleable

adjective

mal·​lea·​ble ˈma-lē-ə-bəl How to pronounce malleable (audio)
ˈmal-yə-bəl,
ˈma-lə-bəl
1
: capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers
2
a
: capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences
b
: having a capacity for adaptive change

Did you know?

Malleable comes from the Latin verb malleare, meaning "to hammer." Malleare itself comes from the Latin word for "hammer," malleus. If you have guessed that maul and mallet, other English words for specific types of hammers, are related to malleus, you have hit the nail on the head.

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web Ironically, this teleporting spike ends up a roving metaphor, too malleable and too removed to echo the characters in the foreground. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 If their loyalties are malleable, why should fans be held to a different standard? Steven Leckart, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Kapoor has spent decades exploring the possibilities of this corporeal color, in three-dimensional objects forged from silicone, wax and other malleable materials and, increasingly, in gobs of thick paint on canvas. Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2023 These newer democracies are more fluid, the rules of governance more readily malleable. Ronn Pineo, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2024 Despite its grisly reputation, the horror genre is every bit as malleable as comedy or drama. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023 In this process, UV lamps quickly harden a malleable plastic gel as it is layered via the printer nozzle, while a scraping tool removes surface imperfections along the way. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Nov. 2023 Once the dough is malleable, fold it a few times to soften, then portion it into twenty-eight 2½-teaspoon balls (about 16 grams each). Yi Jun Loh, Saveur, 8 Feb. 2024 To Silicon Valley, Phillips, a multimillionaire-heir to a family liquor business, appears to be malleable in other ways. William Turton, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'malleable.' 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

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of malleable was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near malleable

Cite this Entry

“Malleable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malleable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

malleable

adjective
mal·​lea·​ble ˈmal-ē-ə-bəl How to pronounce malleable (audio)
ˈmal-(y)ə-bəl
1
: capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers
a malleable metal
2
: capable of being changed so as to fit new uses or situations : flexible, adaptable
malleability
ˌmal-ē-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē How to pronounce malleable (audio)
ˌmal-(y)ə-ˈbil-
noun

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