Dictionary

malleable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• [ˈmæɫiəbɫ̩] (General-American)
• [-bɯ] (New-Zealand)
• [ˈmɛɫiəbɫ̩] (New-Zealand)
• [ˈmaɫiəbəɫ] (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈmæl.iː.ə.bəl/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle French malléable, borrowed from Late Latin malleābilis, derived from Latin malleāre (“to hammer”), from malleus (“hammer”), from Proto-Indo-European *mal-ni- (“crushing”), an extended variant of *melh₂- (“crush, grind”).

Meanings

1. Able to be hammered into thin sheets; capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer, or by the pressure of rollers.
2. (figuratively) Flexible, liable to change.
   • The psychosocial factors in this study are malleable and provide target areas for enhancing mental health in those with high levels of autistic traits. 2024 November 5, Lorna Camus, Kirsty Jones, Emily O’Dowd, Bonnie Auyeung, Gnanathusharan Rajendran, Mary Elizabeth Stewart, “Autistic Traits and Psychosocial Predictors of Depressive Symptoms”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, →DOI:
   • And all over Hollywood, suits are licking their chops at the prospect of more malleable actors. “She’s not going to talk back,” one top talent wrangler told me dryly. 2025 October 4, Maureen Dowd, “When A.I. Came for Hollywood”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Oct 2025:
   • My opinion on the subject is malleable.
3. (of an algorithm) in which an adversary can alter a ciphertext such that it decrypts to a related plaintext

Forms

Coordinates

ductile

Deriveds

malleableize · immalleable · nonmalleable · malleable iron · unmalleable · malleableization · semimalleable · malleablize

Relateds

malleate · malleably · malleability · malleableness

Synonyms

fictile

Translations (78)

tr dövülgen (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · fa قابل انعطاف (liable to change) · nl smeedbaar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de gestaltbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · pt maleável (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · nl hamerbaar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · nl kneedbaar (liable to change) · de formbar (liable to change) · bg ковък (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · cs tvarovatelný (liable to change) · az döyülə bilən (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · ru пода́тливый (liable to change) · es maleable (liable to change) · fa انعطاف پذیر (liable to change) · de formbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · it malleabile (liable to change) · bg податлив (liable to change) · cs kujný (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · gv so-chummeydagh (liable to change) · ru ко́вкий (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · gv so-lhoobagh (liable to change) · fi mukautuvainen (liable to change) · sv smidbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · pl kujny (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · cy hyblyg (liable to change) · mk по́датлив (liable to change) · eo maleebla (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · cs tvárný (liable to change) · ro maleabil (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de geschmeidig (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · hu nyújtható (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · pl podatny (liable to change) · ro maleabil (liable to change) · nl beïnvloedbaar (liable to change) · de dehnbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · no formbar (liable to change) · eo ŝanĝebla (liable to change) · de biegbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de weich (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · fi taottava (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de biegsam (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · ca mal·leable (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de hämmerbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de verformbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · fr malléable (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · no fleksibel (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de dehnbar (liable to change) · sv smidbar (liable to change) · de beeinflussbar (liable to change) · cs poddajný (liable to change) · it forgiabile (liable to change) · hu képlékeny (liable to change) · es maleable (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · tl pukpukin (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · ru пластичный (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · cmn 可锻造的 (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · no smidig (liable to change) · de veränderbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de knetbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de flexibel (liable to change) · de plastisch (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · cs měnitelný (liable to change) · mk ме́нлив (liable to change) · ru восприимчивый (liable to change) · mi māngohe (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de veränderlich (liable to change) · no bøyelig (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · sk kujný (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · pt maleável (liable to change) · mk ко́влив (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · no smidig (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · de schmiedbar (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · no fleksibel (liable to change) · pl kowalny (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · fa چکش خور (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · it malleabile (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · cy morthwyliadwy (able to be hammered into thin sheets) · cy hydrin (liable to change)