mal·le·a·ble (m?l??-?-b?l)adj.1. Capable of being shaped or formed, as by hammering or pressure: a malleable metal.2. Easily controlled or influenced: “The British [rulers] … had favoured the brother who struck them as altogether more amiable, a more malleable, more temperate man” (Paul Scott).3. a. Able to adjust to changing circumstances; adaptable: a malleable leader unafraid to compromise.b. Capable of being changed or adjusted to meet particular or varied needs: the malleable rhythms of jazz.[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin malle?bilis, from malle?re, to hammer, from Latin malleus, hammer; see mel?- in Indo-European roots.]mal?le·a·bil?i·ty, mal?le·a·ble·ness n.mal?le·a·bly adv.Synonyms: malleable, ductile, plastic, pliable, pliant These adjectives mean capable of being shaped, bent, or drawn out: malleable metals such as gold and silver; ductile copper; a plastic substance such as wax; soaked the leather to make it pliable; pliant molten glass.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.malleabilitythe property of a substance that makes it capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers. ? malleable, adj.See also: Materials, Properties of-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.