pli ‧ a ‧ ble /ˈplaɪəb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: plier ; ⇨ ↑ pliers ]
1 . able to bend without breaking or cracking:
a shoe made of soft pliable leather
2 . easily influenced and controlled by other people:
Senior officials would have preferred a more pliable government.
—pliability /ˌplaɪəˈbɪləti, ˌplaɪəˈbɪlɪti/ noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ soft not hard, firm, or stiff, but easy to press:
a soft mattress
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Her skin was lovely and soft.
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soft ground
▪ tender used about meat or vegetables that are soft and easy to cut, especially because they have been well cooked:
The beef was very tender.
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Cook the carrots until tender.
▪ soggy very wet and too soft, in a way that seems unpleasant – used about bread, vegetables, and the ground:
soggy cabbage
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a piece of soggy bread
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The ground was too soggy to walk on.
▪ squishy soft and easy to press – used especially about fruit that is too soft, and about soft wet ground which makes a noise when you walk on it:
squishy tomatoes
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The leaves were squishy under our feet.
▪ squashy British English soft and easy to press – used especially about fruit that is too soft, and about chairs that are soft and comfortable:
The peaches have gone all squashy.
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a big squashy sofa
▪ mushy used about fruit or vegetables that are very soft, wet, and unpleasant, because they are not fresh or have been cooked for too long:
mushy pieces of banana
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a few mushy carrots
▪ spongy soft and full of holes that contain air or liquid like a sponge:
a spongy foam
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a spongy loaf
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His boots sank into the spongy soil.
▪ springy used about something that is soft and comes back to its normal shape after being pressed or walked on:
springy turf (=grass)
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Her hair felt lovely and springy.
▪ pliable /ˈplaɪəb ə l/ used about a material or substance that can be bent or pressed without breaking or cracking:
The clay was still pliable and not too dry.
▪ yielding literary used about a surface which is soft and will bend when you press it:
yielding flesh