supple
1 of 2adjective
; supplest ˈsə-p(ə-)ləst 
Douglas Watt supple
2 of 2verb
transitive verb
Laurence Sterneintransitive verb
Synonyms
Adjective
- bendy [chiefly British]
- flexible
- limber
- lissome
- lissom
- lithe
- lithesome
- pliable
- pliant
- willowy
Example Sentences
Lindsay Colameo, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2022 And the fabrics are often supple and breathable, a far cry from the canvas-feeling garments of old. Will Taylor, Outside Online, 12 Aug. 2022 It’s supple, not soft and amorphous, shaped by acidity and beautiful fruit flavors. New York Times, 21 July 2022 With the help of this moisturizer, your skin will feel years younger, supple, and brightened. The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 June 2022 Daniela Galarza has a different way to enjoy this briny cheese that yields to supple perfection when roasted. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2022 Soak for 20-30 minutes to achieve the most supple, luscious skin your mirror has ever seen! Ava Darrin, ELLE, 26 Aug. 2022 Think rich woods, supple leather and custom artworks by local Texans and Native American Indians. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2022 This product is proof that a quality night cream doesn’t have to feel heavy or greasy in order to deliver supple, glowy results come morning. Lindsay Colameo, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Adjective
Middle English souple, suple, supple "obedient, compliant, flexible, relaxed," borrowed from Anglo-French, "submissive, suppliant, light (of wind), soft, yielding" (continental Old French sople), going back to Latin supplic-, supplex "making humble entreaty, suppliant," probably from sub- sub- + -plic-, from the stem of plicāre "to fold, bend" — more at ply entry 3
Note: Old French so(u)ple belongs to a group of words in which loss of an unstressed penultimate vowel in Gallo-Romance was hindered by a preceding consonant cluster. So, in Pierre Fouché's notation, supplice(m) became *sopletse, then *soplets, and with deletion of the final consonants, sople (see Phonétique historique du français, vol. 3 [Paris, 1966], p. 472). Compare prince. — The -plic- of supplex has also been taken as based on placēre "to be pleasing, find favor" and plācāre "to make favorably disposed, placate," though this seems less likely on derivational and semantic grounds, and for plācāre impossible, given the long a.
Verb
Middle English souplen, supplen "to make humble, make flexible, soften," derivative of suploe "obedient, compliant, supple entry 1"
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
supple
adjective
supple
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- flexible
- pliant
- limber
- pliable
- plastic
- lithe
- lissome
- floppy
- willowy
- lissom
- bendy
- lithesome
- ductile
- elastic
- adaptable
- yielding
- malleable
- fluid
- limp
- flaccid
- modifiable
- variable
- kneadable
- semiflexible
- droopy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- rigid
- stiff
- inflexible
- stiffened
- inelastic
- unyielding
- brittle
- fragile
- nonmalleable
- breakable
Synonyms & Similar Words
- flexible
- stretch
- stretchy
- elastic
- rubbery
- resilient
- plastic
- pliant
- springy
- rubberlike
- stretchable
- bouncy
- whippy
- pliable
- ductile
- limber
- malleable
- adaptable
- moldable
- lithe
- lissome
- lissom
- kneadable
- willowy
- lithesome
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stiff
- rigid
- inelastic
- inflexible
- solid
- firm
- compact
- unyielding
- hard
- nonelastic
- crisp
- brittle
- short
- friable
- flaky
- crumbly
- flakey
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of supple are elastic, flexible, resilient, and springy. While all these words mean "able to endure strain without being permanently injured," supple applies to something that can be readily bent, twisted, or folded without any sign of injury.
The words elastic and supple are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, elastic implies the property of resisting deformation by stretching.
While the synonyms flexible and supple are close in meaning, flexible applies to something which may or may not be resilient or elastic but which can be bent or folded without breaking.
While in some cases nearly identical to supple, resilient implies the ability to recover shape quickly when the deforming force or pressure is removed.
The meanings of springy and supple largely overlap; however, springy stresses both the ease with which something yields to pressure and the quickness of its return to original shape.