flexible

English[edit]

A flexible tube

A flexible display

A flexible gymnast

Etymology[edit]

From Middle French flexible, from Latin flexibilis, from flectō (“I bend, curve”).

Pronunciation[edit]

(UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈflɛk.sɪ.bəl/, /ˈflɛk.sə.bəl/
Audio (US)
(file)

Adjective[edit]

flexible (comparative more flexible, superlative most flexible)

Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking; able to be turned or twisted without breaking.
Synonym: pliable

Antonyms: stiff, brittle, inflexible

When the splitting wind Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks. -William Shakespeare
Willing or prone to give way to the influence of others; not invincibly rigid or obstinate.
Synonyms: tractable, manageable, ductile

Phocion was a man of great severity, and no ways flexible to the will of the people. - Francis Bacon.

Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible. - William Shakespeare
Capable or being adapted or molded in some way.
Synonyms: plastic, malleable

a flexible language

This was a principle more flexible to their purpose. -Rogers.

Synonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

easily bent without breaking

Arabic: please add this translation if you can
Armenian: ճկուն (hy) (čkun)
Asturian: flexible
Azerbaijani: esnek
Belarusian: гі́бкі (híbki), гну́ткі (hnútki)
Bulgarian: гъвкав (bg) (gǎvkav)
Catalan: flexible (ca)
Cherokee: ᏩᏂᎨ (wanige)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 靈活 (zh), 灵活 (zh) (línghuó)
Czech: ohebný (cs) m
Danish: fleksibel n, smidig
Dutch: buigzaam (nl)
Esperanto: fleksebla
Estonian: paindlik
Finnish: joustava (fi), notkea (fi), kimmoisa
French: flexible (fr)
Galician: flexible (gl), flexíbel (gl)
Georgian: მოქნილი (moknili), დრეკადი (dreḳadi)
German: biegsam (de), flexibel (de), elastisch (de), dehnbar (de)
Greek: εύκαμπτος (el) n (éfkamptos)
Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
Hindi: लचीला m (lacīlā)

Hungarian: hajlékony (hu)
Icelandic: sveigjanlegur (is)
Irish: aclaí, solúbtha
Italian: flessibile (it), pieghevole (it)
Japanese: 柔軟な (じゅうなんな, jūnan na)
Khmer: អាចបត់បែនបាន (aac bɑt baen baa nɔɔ)
Latin: flexibilis
Manx: so-lhoobey
Maori: moruki (of a human body), pīngore
Norwegian: fleksibel
Occitan: flexible
Polish: elastyczny (pl), gibki (pl), rozciągliwy
Portuguese: flexível (pt)
Romanian: flexibil (ro)
Russian: ги́бкий (ru) (gíbkij)
Scottish Gaelic: lùbach
Spanish: flexible (es), doblegable
Swedish: flexibel (sv), böjlig (sv)
Tagalog: hutukin
Thai: ยืดหยุ่น (yʉ̂ʉt-yùn)
Turkish: esneklik (tr)
Ukrainian: гнучки́й (hnučkýj), гну́чий (hnúčyj)
Volapük: please add this translation if you can

easy and compliant

Arabic: مَرِن‎ (marin)
Armenian: զիջող (hy) (ziǰoł)
Belarusian: рахма́ны (raxmány), пада́тлівы (padátlivy)
Bulgarian: податлив (bg) (podatliv)
Catalan: flexible (ca)
Danish: fleksibel, føjelig
Dutch: flexibel (nl)
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
Estonian: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: joustava (fi)
French: flexible (fr)
Georgian: დამყოლი (damq̇oli)
German: fügsam (de), flexibel (de), elastisch (de), nachgiebig (de)
Greek: ευέλικτος (el) (evéliktos)

Hungarian: alkalmazkodó (hu)
Icelandic: sveigjanlegur (is)
Irish: aclaí, solúbtha
Italian: flessibile (it)
Khmer: អាចបត់បែនបាន (aac bɑt baen baa nɔɔ)
Latin: flexibilis
Manx: so-lhoobey
Maori: ngāwari
Oriya: ନମନୀୟ (or) (nômônīyô)
Portuguese: flexível (pt)
Russian: покла́дистый (ru) (pokládistyj), пода́тливый (ru) (podátlivyj)
Spanish: obediente (es)
Turkish: elastik (tr)
Ukrainian: ла́гідний (láhidnyj), покла́дливий (pokládlyvyj), посту́пливий (postúplyvyj)

capable or being adapted or molded

Armenian: ճկուն (hy) (čkun)
Bulgarian: приспособяващ се (prisposobjavašt se)
Catalan: flexible (ca)
Dutch: flexibel (nl)
Finnish: joustava (fi)
French: flexible (fr), maléable
Galician: flexíbel (gl)
German: flexibel (de), dehnbar (de), weich (de)

Hungarian: rugalmas (hu)
Icelandic: sveigjanlegur (is)
Italian: flessibile (it)
Maori: kōngohe
Portuguese: flexível (pt)
Russian: ги́бкий (ru) (gíbkij)
Spanish: flexible (es)
Thai: ยืดหยุ่น (yʉ̂ʉt-yùn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: ^{(please verify)} souple (fr)

Swedish: ^{(please verify)} flexibel (sv)

Noun[edit]

flexible (plural flexibles)

(chiefly engineering and manufacturing) Something that is flexible.
- 2009 August 19, Terry McCrann, “Win-win deal for the times”, in Herald Sun‎^[1]:
  Alcan is mostly flexibles -- and so it boosts Amcor's flexible packaging business to a globally significant $7 billion one.