rhizoverbBeta
DictionarymalleableEasily shaped
adjective

malleable

MAL-ee-uh-bul/ˈmæliəbl/

Readily reshaped by pressure without breaking.

The malleable copper bends into a smooth curve without cracking.

A copper strip rests across a small steel forming stake, smoothly bent into a broad curve with shallow hammer marks and no cracks; a small metalworking hammer lies beside it.
Etymology
malleLatinto beat with a hammer
+ableLatincapable of being

The original image is material that can be shaped by hammering. This physical capacity for reshaping became a figurative description of people who can be changed by outside influence.

In context

James Sword Engineering 2:24
it is highly malleable allowing it to be heated and reheated and worked into various shapes
Difference Between Pig iron, Wrought iron, Cast Iron, And Steel - An Overview.

More examples

  • The warm wax becomes malleable under her fingers.
  • This alloy is less malleable than pure copper.
  • The artist presses the malleable clay into a shallow mold.

Forms

malleable · more malleable · most malleable

malleability noun — The ability to change shape without breaking.

Similar words

pliable
Emphasizes easy bending rather than reshaping by hammering or pressing.
ductile
Specifically describes materials that can be drawn into wire.