flexibility


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Related to flexibility: speed

flex·i·ble

(flĕk′sə-bəl)
adj.
1.
a. Capable of being bent or flexed; pliable: a flexible hose.
b. Readily bending or twisting the body without injury: You can play soccer much better if you're flexible.
2. Able to change to cope with variable circumstances: "a flexible and quietly competent administrator" (Jerome Karabel).
3. Capable of being changed or adjusted to meet particular or varied needs: a job with flexible hours; a flexible definition of normality.

[From Latin flexibilis, from flexus, past participle of flectere, to bend.]

flex′i·bil′i·ty, flex′i·ble·ness n.
flex′i·bly adv.
Synonyms: flexible, elastic, resilient, supple
These adjectives refer literally to what is capable of withstanding stress without damage and figuratively to what can undergo change or modification: a flexible wire; flexible plans; an elastic rubber band; an elastic interpretation of the law; thin, resilient copper; a resilient temperament; supple suede; a supple mind.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Flexibility/Inflexibility

See Also: HABIT

  1. Adaptable as a Norwegian wharf rat —James Mills
  2. Adjustable as prices of goods sold in a flea market —Anon
  3. Adjust to as your eyes adjust to darkness or sudden light —Anon
  4. Be pliable like a reed, not rigid like a cedar —Rabbi Simeon ben Eleazar
  5. Elastic as a criminal’s conscience —Anon
  6. Elastic as a steel spring —Anon
  7. Flexible as a diplomat’s conscience —Anon
  8. Flexible as figures in the hands of the statistician —Israel Zangwill
  9. Flexible as silk —Ouida
  10. Has as much give as a tree trunk —Jimmy Breslin
  11. Implacable an adversary as a wife suing for alimony —William Wycherly
  12. (Softly, unhurriedly but) implacably, like a great river flowing on and on —Harvey Swados
  13. Inflexible as a marble pillar —Anon
  14. Inflexible as steel —Ouida
  15. Inflexible as the rings of hell —John Cheever
  16. Intractable as a driven ghost —Sylvia Plath
  17. Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one’s mind —W. Somerset Maugham
  18. (The adolescent personality is as) malleable as infant flesh —Barbara Lazear Ascher, New York Times/Hers, October 23, 1986
  19. The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind —William Blake
  20. Mind set like concrete —George Garrett
  21. Pliable as wax —James Shirley
  22. Pliant as cloth —Eugene Sue
  23. Pliant as flesh —Linda Pastan
  24. Rigidity yielding a little, like justice swayed by mercy, is the whole beauty of the earth —G. K. Chesterton
  25. Set as a piece of sculpture —Charles Dickens
  26. They made their hearts as an adamant stone —The Holy Bible/Apocrypha

    A variation from “Hearts firm as stone” and “Cold as stone” from the Book of Job.

  27. Uncompromising as a policeman’s club —Anon
  28. Uncompromising as justice —William Lloyd Garrison
  29. (There he was, as) unshakable as granite —Frank Swinnerton
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. [画像:flexibility - the property of being flexible]flexibility - the property of being flexible; easily bent or shaped
malleability, plasticity - the property of being physically malleable; the property of something that can be worked or hammered or shaped without breaking
bendability, pliability - the property of being easily bent without breaking
whip - (golf) the flexibility of the shaft of a golf club
inflexibility, inflexibleness - a lack of physical flexibility
2. flexibility - the quality of being adaptable or variable; "he enjoyed the flexibility of his working arrangement"
adaptability - the ability to change (or be changed) to fit changed circumstances
wiggle room - flexibility of interpretation or of options; "the request left some wiggle room for future restructuring"
inflexibility, rigidity, rigidness - the quality of being rigid and rigorously severe
3. [画像:flexibility - the trait of being easily persuaded]flexibility - the trait of being easily persuaded
trait - a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
manageability, manageableness - capable of being managed or controlled
docility - the trait of being agreeably submissive and manageable
domestication, tameness - the attribute of having been domesticated
amenability, amenableness, cooperativeness - the trait of being cooperative
obedience - the trait of being willing to obey
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

flexibility

noun
1. elasticity, pliability, springiness, pliancy, tensility, give (informal) The flexibility of the lens decreases with age.
2. adaptability, openness, versatility, adjustability the flexibility of distance learning
3. complaisance, accommodation, give and take, amenability They should be ready to show some flexibility.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

flexibility

noun
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مُرونَه، لدانَه
ohebnostpřizpůsobivost
fleksibilitet
joustavuus
sveigjanleiki
flexibilitate
esneklik

flexibility

[ˌfleksɪˈbɪlɪtɪ] Nflexibilidad f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

flexibility

[ˌflɛksɪˈbɪlɪti] n
[material, object] → flexibilité f
(= adaptability) [person, organization, schedule] → flexibilité f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

flexibility

n
(lit)Biegsamkeit f, → Elastizität f
(fig)Flexibilität f; (of engine)Elastizität f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

flexibility

[ˌflɛksɪˈbɪlɪtɪ] nflessibilità, elasticità
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

flex

(fleks) verb
to bend, especially in order to test. to flex one's muscles. bult يَثْني، يَلْوي огувам (се) flexionar napnout, ohýbat biegen bevæge; røre κάμπτω flexionar, tensar painutama خم کردن؛ باز و بسته کردن taivuttaa fléchir לְכוֹפֵף झुकाना savijati, pregibati feszít menekuk beygja flettere, contrarre 曲げる (특히 작업하기 전의 준비로서) 굽히다 lankstyti, pa(mankštinti) []liekt; izvingrināt; izlocīt menekuk buigen bøye, spenne; vise muskler zginąć كږيدل: كږول، تاوول، تاويدل flectir a îndoi сгибать; напрягать ohýbať (sa) upogniti stegnuti böja, spänna งอ bükmek 彎曲,屈曲 згинати(ся) کسی عضو کو آزمائش کے انداز میں مڑوڑنا làm cong; uốn cong 弯曲,屈曲
noun
(a piece of) thin insulated wire for carrying electricity. That lamp has a long flex. koord سِلْك كَهْرُبائي مَعْزول шнур fio elétrico šňůra das Kabel ledning καλώδιο cable ühendusjuhe سیم برق sähköjohto fil חוּט גָמִיש बिजली का तार kabel, žnora (vasaló)zsinór kabel einangruð raftaug cordoncino, filo flessibile コード 가요(可撓)선, 전선 lankstus laidas (elektrības) vads wayar snoer elektrisk ledning, kabel przewód, sznur د برښنا سیم fio eléctrico liţă гибкий шнур šnúra žica gajtan sladd สายไฟ kordon 電線 гнучкий шнур لچکدار ڈھکا ہوا تار جو بجلی کے آلات تک برقی رو لے جاتا ہے dây mềm 电线
ˈflexible adjective
1. that can be bent easily. flexible metal. buigbaar قابِل للإلْتِواء гъвкав maleável ohebný biegsam fleksibel; bøjelig εύκαμπτος flexible painduv انعطاف پذیر taipuisa flexible גמיש लचीला savitljiv, elastičan hajlítható lentur sveigjanlegur flessibile 曲げやすい 휘기 쉬운 lankstus lokans; elastīgs mudah lentur buigzaam bøyelig, smidig, fleksibel giętki كمېدونكى، دكږيدووړ، تاوېدونكى، ارتجاعې، هغه چه په اسانى سره تر نفوذ لاندى راځى maleável flexibil гибкий ohybný upogljiv savitljiv böjbar, mjuk, elastisk โค้งหรืองอได้ esnek 易彎曲的 гнучкий لچکدار dẻo; dễ uốn 易弯曲的
2. able or willing to change according to circumstances etc. My holiday plans are very flexible. buigsaam مَرِن приспособим flexível pružný, přizpůsobivý flexibel fleksibel ελαστικός, ευέλικτος flexible paindlik تغییر پذیر joustava souple גמיש स्थिति के अनुरूप ढालना fleksibilan, podložan promjeni rugalmas lentur sveigjanlegur flessibile 融通のきく 적응성 있는 lankstus elastīgs fleksibel flexibel fleksibel elastyczny دكږيدووړ flexível flexibil гибкий pružný prilagodljiv fleksibilan flexibel สามารถยืดหยุ่นได้ esnek, değişebilir 靈活的 гнучкий جو مڑنے سے نہ ٹوٹے linh động; linh hoạt 灵活的
ˌflexiˈbility noun
buigsaamheid مُرونَه، لدانَه гъвкавост flexibilidade ohebnost; přizpůsobivost die Biegsamkeit fleksibilitet ελαστικότητα, ευελιξία flexibilidad paindlikkus انعطاف پذیری joustavuus souplesse גמישות लचीलापन fleksibilnost, savitljivost, elastičnost hajlékonyság, rugalmasság kelenturan sveigjanleiki flessibilità 柔軟性 유연성, 적응성 lankstumas lokanums; elastīgums kelenturan flexibiliteit bøyelighet, smidighet, fleksibilitet elastyczność نرمى، دكږيدو قابليت flexibilidade flexibilitate гибкость ohybnosť; pružnosť prilagodljivost fleksibilnost böjlighet, flexibilitet ความยืดหยุ่น esneklik 靈活性 гнучкість لچکداری tính mềm dẻo; tính linh hoạt 灵活性
ˈflexitime noun
a system where employees may choose their own working hours. skiktyd نِظام عَمَل مَرِن гъвкаво работно време horário flexível pohyblivá pracovní doba die Gleitzeit flekstid ελαστικό ωράριο horario flexible paindlik töögraafik ساعت کار تغییر پذیر liukuva työaika שׁעוֹת עֲבוֹדָה גְמִישוֹת निश्चित समय न होना fleksibilno radno vrijeme rugalmas munkaidő jam kerja yang dapat dipilih orario flessibile 自由勤務時間制 근무 시간의 자유 선택제 laisvas darbo grafikas brīvs darba režīms waktu kerja fleksibel variabele werktijden fleksitid system płynnego czasu pracy دكار تغير كوونكي ګړي свободный режим рабочего дня pohyblivá pracovná doba premičen delovni čas klizno radno vreme flextid ระบบที่ลูกจ้างสามารถเลือกปริมาณชั่วโมงการทํางานได้ esnek mesai saati 彈性上班制 змінний графік роботи ملازم کو مرضی کے مطابق کام دینا hệ thống giờ làm việc linh hoạt 弹性上班制
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

flex·i·bil·i·ty

n. flexibilidad, propiedad de flexionar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

flexibility

n flexibilidad f
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Flexibility of mind, a disposition easily biassed by others, is an attribute which you know I am not very desirous of obtaining; nor has Frederica any claim to the indulgence of her notions at the expense of her mother's inclinations.
By the grace of her movements, by the softness and flexibility of her small limbs, and by a certain coyness and reserve of manner, she reminded one of a pretty, half-grown kitten which promises to become a beautiful little cat.
Arrayed in his blue frock and duck trousers, he was as smart a looking sailor as ever stepped upon a deck; he was singularly small and slightly made, with great flexibility of limb.
It is couched, like so much of his work, in the autobiographic form, which next to the dramatic form is the most natural, and which lends itself with such flexibility to the purpose of the author.
Hence I am inclined to look at adaptation to any special climate as a quality readily grafted on an innate wide flexibility of constitution, which is common to most animals.
Here by intermarriage with the native women they rapidly developed into a race which while retaining all their original courage and enterprise took on also, together with the French language, the French intellectual brilliancy and flexibility and in manners became the chief exponent of medieval chivalry.
Miss Hepzibah, at any rate, will lose what little flexibility she has.
The strongest and most reliable hold which the ship has upon the whale when moored alongside, is by the flukes or tail; and as from its greater density that part is relatively heavier than any other (excepting the side-fins), its flexibility even in death, causes it to sink low beneath the surface; so that with the hand you cannot get at it from the boat, in order to put the chain round it.
The flesh was white and fresh, and both the arm and hand preserved a degree of flexibility in the articulations.
He pre- sented them as tilted, stiff tripods, without either flexibility or subtlety, and with an altogether misleading monotony of effect.
His arms became stiff, his legs lost their flexibility, and he was almost breathless.
Her mouth, at first sight, seemed only made for love; but, the instant that its muscles moved, every expression that womanly dignity could utter played around it with the flexibility of female grace.

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