1
Core quality
Easily shaped, changed, influenced, or adapted.
Example
Gold is highly malleable and can be formed into thin sheets.
malleable
/ˈmæliəbəl/ · MAL-ee-uh-buladjective
Easily shaped, changed, influenced, or adapted.
Use malleable to express this relationship precisely: easily shaped, changed, influenced, or adapted.
What malleable Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
Memory is more malleable than a permanent recording.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
The plan remained malleable during the early discussions.
Use malleable Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Gold is highly malleable and can be formed into thin sheets.
Memory is more malleable than a permanent recording.
The plan remained malleable during the early discussions.
Precision Matters
Malleable overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
malleable
vs.Means easily shaped, changed, influenced, or adapted.
immutable
Means unchanging over time or incapable of being changed.
malleable
vs.Means easily shaped, changed, influenced, or adapted.
resilient
Means capable of recovering quickly from difficulty, damage, or change.
malleable
vs.Means easily shaped, changed, influenced, or adapted.
induce
Means to cause or bring about.
malleable
vs.Means easily shaped, changed, influenced, or adapted.
sway
Means influence or persuade someone to adopt a view, decision, or course of action.
Test malleable in Context
The wet material can be formed and changed easily.
1
Because the clay stays ___ when wet, artisans can shape it without cracking it.