as in flexible
able to bend easily without breaking
a pliant branch bent low with the weight of ripe fruit
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pliant
Raskob took his own leap into the political fray by bankrolling Smith and using the DNC to settle scores—with the help of a pliant press.
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Evan Hughes, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
As Perez wrote, Musk’s free-speech absolutism was a fiction perpetuated by a pliant media.
—Jacob Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Accusations of Russian interference Ahead of the election, Sandu accused Russia of attempting to sway the vote to install a government more pliant to Moscow through a vast disinformation campaign.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
This led Liu to wonder if these pliant electronics might keep up with the mutable nature of embryonic brains.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pliant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pliant
Adjective
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Gently clean the seal regularly baking soda or dish soap to remove mold and keep it flexible.—
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With more than $2 million raised through crowdfunding, Zero Zero Robotics says AQUA has drawn strong interest from watersport enthusiasts looking for a more durable and flexible aerial filming tool.—
Adjective
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News media industry leaders and other critics of the new policy said Hegseth’s real intent was to impede independent reporters while installing pliable pro-Trump content creators in place of the press corps.—
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The strange pliable substance, which NASA said is not unlike used gum or soft plastic, was likely formed when our solar system was in its infancy.—
Adjective
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Thousands had set up makeshift homes made of little more than cloth, asbestos, and plastic sheets.—
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The task force usually passes out kits that include fentanyl detection strips inside plastic sandwich bags, along with sterile water and little paper condiment cups, which are used to perform the test; illicit pills should be crushed first before testing.—
Cite this Entry
“Pliant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pliant. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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