# flexible
## English
### Etymology

From Middle French flexible, from Latin flexibilis, from flectō (“I bend, curve”).
Morphologically flex +‎ -ible.

### Pronunciation

* (UK, US, Canada) IPA: /ˈflɛk.sɪ.bəl/, /ˈflɛk.sə.bəl/
** Audio (California):(file)
** Audio (Texas):(file)
* (General Australian) IPA: /ˈflek.sɪ.bəl/

### Adjective

flexible (comparative more flexible, superlative most flexible)
* Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking; able to be turned or twisted without breaking.
    Synonym: pliable
    Antonyms: stiff, brittle, inflexible, rigid
** c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:When the splitting wind Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks.
* Willing or prone to give way to the influence of others; not invincibly rigid or obstinate.
    Synonyms: tractable, manageable, ductile
** 1625, Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the chapter)”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:Phocion the Athenian (a man of great severity, and no ways flexible to the will of the people […]
** c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible.
* Capable of adapting or changing to suit new or modified conditions or situations.
    You can't always get what you want: you need to learn to be flexible.
* Capable or being adapted or molded in some way.
    Synonyms: plastic, malleable
    a flexible language
** 1735, John Rogers, Nineteen Sermons on various occasions:This they foresaw was a Principle more flexible to their Purpose

#### Synonyms

    The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.
* bendsome
* bendy
* ductile
* inconstant
* manageable
* obsequious
* pliable
* pliant
* supple
* tractable
* wavering

#### Derived terms

* flexatone
* flexbone
* flexecutive
* flexibilization
* flexibilize
* flexibleness
* flexible sigmoidoscopy
* flexible time
* flexibly
* flexihours
* flexisexual
* flexisexuality
* flexitank
* flexitarian
* flexivore
* heteroflexible
* homoflexible
* hyperflexible
* make flexible
* nonflexible
* rectiflexible
* semiflexible
* ultraflexible
* unflexible

#### Related terms

* flexibility
* inflexible

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### See also

* foldable

### Noun

flexible (plural flexibles)
* (chiefly engineering and manufacturing) Something that is flexible.
** 2009 August 19, Terry McCrann, “Win-win deal for the times”, in Herald Sun‎, archived from the original on 22 August 2009:Alcan is mostly flexibles -- and so it boosts Amcor's flexible packaging business to a globally significant $7 billion one.

### References

* “flexible”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* flexible on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* flexibility on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## Asturian
### Etymology

From Latin flexibilis.

### Adjective

flexible (epicene, plural flexibles)
* flexible
    Synonym: flesible
    Antonym: inflexible

#### Related terms

* flexibilidá

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin flexibilis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [fləkˈsib.blə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [flekˈsi.ble]

### Adjective

flexible m or f (masculine and feminine plural flexibles)
* flexible
    Antonym: inflexible

#### Derived terms

* disc flexible
* flexibilitzar

#### Related terms

* flexibilitat

### Further reading

* “flexible” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “flexible”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “flexible” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “flexible” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin flexibilis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /flɛk.sibl/
* Audio:(file)
* Homophone: flexibles
* Hyphenation: flexible

### Adjective

flexible (plural flexibles)
* flexible

#### Derived terms

* flexiblement
* inflexible

#### Related terms

* flexibilité

### Further reading

* “flexible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Galician
### Alternative forms

* flexível (reintegrationist)
* flexíbel

### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin flexibilis.

### Adjective

flexible m or f (plural flexibles)
* flexible
    Antonyms: inflexible, inflexíbel

#### Related terms

* flexibilidade

### Further reading

* “flexible”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

flexible
* inflection of flexibel:
** strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
** strong nominative/accusative plural
** weak nominative all-gender singular
** weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin flexibilis, from flectō (“to bend, curve”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /fleɡˈsible/ [fleɣ̞ˈsi.β̞le]
* Rhymes: -ible
* Syllabification: fle‧xi‧ble

### Adjective

flexible m or f (masculine and feminine plural flexibles)
* flexible (clarification of this definition is needed)
    Antonym: inflexible

#### Derived terms

* disco flexible
* flexibilidad
* flexibilización
* flexibilizar
* flexiblemente

#### Related terms

* flexión
* flexionar

### Further reading

* “flexible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Adjective

flexible
* definite natural masculine singular of flexibel