What does pliant mean?
Word: Pliant
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Pliant means soft and easy to bend without breaking.
Synonyms: flexible, supple
Antonyms: stiff, rigid
Word origin: Comes from Old French, from a verb meaning to bend.
How do you spell pliant?
Syllables: pli - ant
Tricky part: The long eye sound is spelt with an i, not a y, so plyant is the usual slip.
Watch out for: plyant, pleyant
Memory tip: Pliers bend wire and a pliant stem bends easily: both words open the same way.
Pliant in a sentence
Example 1: Soft, pliant leather makes these sandals comfortable from the first day.
Example 2: The potter kept the clay damp so that it stayed pliant.
Example 3: Wet cane stays pliant long enough to be woven into a chair seat.
Fun Fact
Gold is so soft and pliant that a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of about one square metre.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
pli____
a) ent
b) unt
c) int
d) ant
Show answer
d) ant. Giant and tenant finish in just these three letters.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. pliant 2. drowsy 3. vague a. brittle b. precise c. alert
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Brittle things snap instead of bending, an alert child is not drowsy, and a precise answer is not vague.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. plimsoll 2. pliant 3. plight 4. pliers
a) 2341
b) 2413
c) 2431
d) 4231
Show answer
c) 2431. All four start with pli, so the next letter decides: a, e, g, then m.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The basket weavers of Assam soak pliant strips of bamboo overnight, then shape them into trays with remarkible speed and skilfull fingers.
a) only skilfull
b) pliant and remarkible
c) remarkible and skilfull
d) only remarkible
Show answer
c) remarkible and skilfull. Remarkable takes able, and skilful has only one l at the end; pliant is spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is the most pliant?
a) a young green twig
b) a dry biscuit
c) a stone tile
d) a glass marble
Show answer
a) a young green twig
2. Regular oiling keeps leather pliant. What does this let a cricketer do with his gloves?
a) keep them bright white all season
b) flex his fingers in them easily
c) hit the ball further than before
d) wear them in a smaller size
Show answer
b) flex his fingers in them easily
