malleable

/'mæliəbl/

Thân thiện

A blacksmith hammers a piece of malleable copper on an anvil.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Capable of being shaped or bent: Describes a material, especially a metal, that can be hammered, pressed, or rolled into a new shape without breaking or cracking.
   • Easily influenced or adaptable: Describes a person, idea, or situation that can be changed, trained, or influenced without difficulty.

Examples of Usage

• Describing a material:

  • Gold is a highly malleable metal, perfect for making intricate jewelry.
  • The artist used a malleable clay that was easy to mold into detailed sculptures.

• Describing a person or concept:

  • Young children's minds are often malleable and open to new ideas.
  • The plan is still malleable; we can adjust it based on your feedback.

Advanced Usage

• "malleable enough to": sufficiently adaptable or shapeable for a specific purpose.

  • The policy needs to be malleable enough to accommodate future technological changes.

• In a figurative/psychological context:

  • Public opinion on the issue proved to be surprisingly malleable after the informative campaign.

Variants and Related Words

• Malleability (noun): The quality or state of being malleable.

  • The malleability of copper makes it essential for wiring.

• Non-malleable (adjective): Not capable of being shaped or influenced easily.

  • His stubborn opinion was non-malleable.

Synonyms

• Pliable: Easily bent, flexible; easily influenced. (Often used for materials like leather or for people.)
• Ductile: Capable of being drawn out into a thin wire. (A specific type of malleability for metals.)
• Adaptable: Able to adjust to new conditions. (Closer to the figurative meaning for people/systems.)

Antonyms

• Brittle: Hard but liable to break or shatter easily.
• Inflexible: Unwilling to change or compromise; not able to be bent.
• Rigid: Unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not adaptable.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "A malleable character": A person whose personality or morals are easily shaped by circumstances or other people.
  • In the story, the villain exploits the hero's malleable character in his youth.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
   • ductile copper
   • malleable metals such as gold
   • they soaked the leather to made it pliable
   • pliant molten glass
   • made of highly tensile steel alloy
2. easily influenced

Từ đồng nghĩa

• ductile
• pliable
• pliant
• tensile
• tractile