malleable
MAL-ee-uh-bul
/ˈmæliəbl/
Easily influenced, trained, or shaped; able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without cracking.
Implies a high degree of flexibility and openness to being molded by external forces, either physically or mentally.
The story behind the word. From Medieval Latin malleabilis, from malleus (a hammer). Historically used for metals like gold or iron that could be beaten into sheets without breaking, it now describes minds or plans that can be shaped by circumstances.
Word relationships
- pliable: Pliable means easy to bend, while malleable specifically implies being able to be beaten or rolled into new shapes.
- brittle: Brittle describes materials or minds that break or shatter when force is applied rather than bending.
Commonly confused with
- ductile: Ductile means able to be drawn out into thin wires; malleable means able to be hammered into thin sheets.
Word family
- malleability (noun): The quality of being malleable.
Collocations
- malleable metal
- malleable mind
- highly malleable
Idioms & expressions
- putty in someone's hands
Example sentences
- "Because young children's brains are highly malleable, they learn languages much faster than adults." Child psychology
Memory hook
Think of a mallet (hammer) hitting clay. The clay is 'malleable' because the mallet can shape it. Shaped by the hammer of circumstance.
When not to use
Do not use to describe something that snaps back to its original shape (that is resilient); malleable things stay in the new shape.
Fun facts
- Gold is the most malleable of all metals; a single gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet measuring one square meter.
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