unsupple

The old leather belt was unsupple and difficult to bend.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lacking flexibility: "unsupple" describes something that is not easily bent, folded, or moved; it is stiff or rigid.
   • Lacking adaptability: In a figurative sense, "unsupple" refers to a person or thing that is not yielding, accommodating, or pliant in attitude or behavior.
   • Lacking subservience: It can also mean not inclined to flatter, grovel, or submit to others; showing independence or resistance to pressure.

Usage Examples

• Literal (physical stiffness):

  • The old leather belt had become unsupple and cracked after years of use. (The belt was stiff and difficult to bend.)

• Figurative (inflexible attitude):

  • His unsupple mind refused to consider any new ideas. (He was mentally rigid and unwilling to adapt.)

• Figurative (lack of subservience):

  • She remained unsupple in the face of the manager's demands, refusing to compromise her principles. (She did not bow down or show submission.)

Advanced Usage

• "unsupple in one's ways": habitually rigid in behavior or routine.

  • The old professor was unsupple in his ways, teaching the same lectures for decades without change. (He was inflexible and resistant to change.)

• "unsupple to persuasion": not easily convinced or swayed.

  • The jury was unsupple to persuasion, sticking to their initial verdict. (They were not easily moved by arguments.)

Variants and Related Words

• Supple (adj): the opposite of unsupple; flexible, pliant, or adaptable.

  • The dancer's body was supple and graceful. (She was flexible and easy to move.)

• Suppleness (n): the quality of being flexible.

  • The suppleness of the young tree allowed it to bend without breaking. (Its flexibility.)

• Unsuppleness (n): the state or quality of being stiff or rigid.

  • The unsuppleness of the frozen rope made it useless for climbing. (Its stiffness.)

Synonyms

• Stiff: not easily bent; rigid.
• Inflexible: unwilling to change or adapt.
• Rigid: stiff and unyielding.
• Adamant: refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind.
• Unbending: not giving in to pressure or influence.

Related Idioms

• "Set in one's ways": having fixed habits or opinions that are difficult to change.

  • He is unsupple and set in his ways, so don't expect him to try anything new. (He is rigid in his habits.)

• "Stiff as a board": extremely rigid or inflexible (often physical).

  • After the cold night, the towel was unsupple and stiff as a board. (It was completely rigid.)