different between flexible vs adjustable

English

Etymology

From Middle French flexible, from Latin flexibilis, from flect? (“I bend, curve”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?fl?k.s?.b?l/, /?fl?k.s?.b?l/

Adjective

flexible (comparative more flexible, superlative most flexible)

1. Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking; able to be turned or twisted without breaking.

   Synonym: pliable

   Antonyms: stiff, brittle, inflexible

   When the splitting wind Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks. -William Shakespeare

2. Willing or prone to give way to the influence of others; not invincibly rigid or obstinate.

   Synonyms: tractable, manageable, ductile

   Phocion was a man of great severity, and no ways flexible to the will of the people. - Francis Bacon.

   Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible. - William Shakespeare

3. Capable or being adapted or molded in some way.

   Synonyms: plastic, malleable

   a flexible language

   This was a principle more flexible to their purpose. -Rogers.

Synonyms

Derived terms

• flexibly
• flexibleness

Related terms

• flexibility
• inflexible

Translations

See also

• foldable

Noun

flexible (plural flexibles)

1. (chiefly engineering and manufacturing) Something that is flexible.

References

• flexible in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• flexible on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• flexibility on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin flexibilis.

Adjective

flexible (epicene, plural flexibles)

1. flexible

   Antonym: inflexible

Related terms

• flexibilidá

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin flexibilis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /fl?k?si.bl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /flek?si.ble/

Adjective

flexible (masculine and feminine plural flexibles)

1. 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.
• “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^(key): /fl?k.sibl/
• Homophone: flexibles
• Hyphenation: flex?sible

Adjective

flexible (plural flexibles)

1. flexible

Derived terms

• flexiblement
• inflexible

Related terms

• flexibilité

Further reading

• “flexible” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Galician

Alternative forms

• flexíbel

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin flexibilis.

Adjective

flexible m or f (plural flexibles)

1. flexible

Antonyms

• inflexible, inflexíbel

Related terms

• flexibilidade

Further reading

• “flexible” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

German

Adjective

flexible

1. inflection of flexibel:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Spanish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fle??sible/, [fle???si.??le]

Adjective

flexible (plural flexibles)

1. flexible (clarification of this definition is needed)

   Antonym: inflexible

Derived terms

• disco flexible
• flexibilidad
• flexibilizar
• flexibilización

Related terms

• flexión
• flexionar

Further reading

• “flexible” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

adjust +? -able

Adjective

adjustable (comparative more adjustable, superlative most adjustable)

1. capable of being adjusted

Translations

Noun

adjustable (plural adjustables)

1. Anything that can be adjusted.
   • 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things

     "He came in. He had a gun. He was crazy. You can see he was crazy; look what he did to Ricky. He thought Ricky was me. He wanted to steal my adjustables. Look."
     Sonny smiled and tilted the steel case so Henry could look at the jumble of rusty ironmongery inside.