Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Capable of being bent or flexed; pliable.
  • adjective Readily bending or twisting the body without injury.
  • adjective Able to change to cope with variable circumstances.
  • adjective Capable of being changed or adjusted to meet particular or varied needs.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Capable of being bent or changed in figure without breaking; specifically, not stiff; pliant; easily bent: as, a flexible rod; a flexible plant.
  • Capable of yielding to entreaties, arguments, or other moral force; that may be persuaded to compliance; not invincibly rigid or obstinate; not inexorable; ductile; manageable; tractable.
  • That may be adapted or accommodated; capable of receiving different forms, or of being applied to a variety of uses; plastic: as, a flexible language; a flexible text.
  • In music, able to execute or perform with rapidity: particularly used of the voice.
  • Synonyms Pliable, supple, limber, lithe, facile, adaptable.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Capable of being flexed or bent; admitting of being turned, bowed, or twisted, without breaking; pliable; yielding to pressure; not stiff or brittle.
  • adjective Willing or ready to yield to the influence of others; not invincibly rigid or obstinate; tractable; manageable; ductile; easy and compliant; wavering.
  • adjective Capable or being adapted or molded; plastic,.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking; able to be turned, bowed, or twisted, without breaking; pliable; not stiff or brittle.
  • adjective Willing or ready to yield to the influence of others; not invincibly rigid or obstinate; tractable; manageable; ductile; easy and compliant; wavering.
  • adjective Capable or being adapted or molded; plastic,; as, a flexible language.
  • noun Something that is flexible

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective capable of being changed
  • adjective able to adjust readily to different conditions
  • adjective able to flex; able to bend easily
  • adjective bending and snapping back readily without breaking
  • adjective making or willing to make concessions

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin flexibilis, from flexus, past participle of flectere, to bend.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin flexibilis, from flectō ("I bend, curve"). Compare French flexible.

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Examples

  • Once, liberals like Justice William Brennan relied on what he called a flexible "living Constitution."

    A Brewing Court Battle 2009

  • Doesn't mean they're going to stop producing those vehicles, though, because Ford is increasingly turning to what it calls flexible manufacturing.

    CNN Transcript Apr 14, 2006 2006

  • They are worried that they will not be consulted, and that Europe, NATO in particular, may be relegated to the sidelines, as the U.S. engages in what it calls flexible coalitions to prosecute its war against terrorists, as it did in Afghanistan.

    CNN Transcript Feb 2, 2002 2002

  • Q Is he going to have one of those, what you call a flexible sigmoidoscopy?

    Press Briefing By Mike Mccurry ITY National Archives 1995

  • Among these is Peter Senge who wrote The Fifth Discipline, in which he calls the flexible, healthy organizational system a “learning organization”—not in the sense that it gathers information, but in that it is constantly adapting its structure, management style, strategy, and so on.

    Navigating the Winds of Change LYNN ANDERSON 1994

  • "The word 'flexible' I found very interesting because generally the government has been of a fairly one-track mind," said BMO deputy chief economist Doug Porter.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed BILL CURRY AND TAVIA GRANT 2011

  • While volatile items -- which he calls flexible-price goods -- have fed into the core rate of inflation in the past, most notably during the commodity-price shocks of the 1970s, they haven't done so since.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2011

  • However, based on public comments by Mr. Carney in the past year, the new five-year mandate is likely to include a forceful assertion of what he calls "flexible inflation targeting," or his right to respond to economic shocks or dangerous buildups of credit by taking longer than usual to bring inflation to the central bank's 2-per-cent target.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed JEREMY TOROBIN AND BILL CURRY 2011

  • It has adopted what it calls a flexible approach, favoring military tribunals in some cases and civilian trials in others.

    Reuters: Top News 2010

  • It has adopted what it calls a flexible approach, favoring military tribunals in some cases and civilian trials in others.

    Reuters: Top News 2010

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