Flexibility Meaning
/ˌflɛksɪˈbɪlɪti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe quality of being flexible, whether physically or metaphorically.
nounThe quality of having options.
Sentence Examples
Lack of flexibility is an obstacle to one's progress.
Flexibility is one of the many advantages of working from home.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Yoga greatly improved her body's ____, allowing her to touch her toes effortlessly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The yoga class focuses on improving both balance and ____ through a series of daily stretching exercises.
Word Origin & History
From French flexibilité, from Late Latin flexibilitās, from Latin flectō (“to bend, curve”). Equivalent to flexible + -ity = flex + -ibility.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Researchers have developed a new gel they say is as durable as metal, has the flexibility of jello, and could revolutionize how our bodies heal and age."
— 2017 July 16, Jenny Marc, Katy Scott, “Revolutionary gel is five times stronger than steel”, in CNN, archived from the original on 02 Jul 2025:
"Whether redundancies come and whether they result in industrial action remains to be seen, but it's clear that the RMT is not prepared to show any flexibility towards rail companies."
— 2020 December 2, Philip Haigh, “A winter of discontent caused by threat of union action”, in Rail, page 63:
"For millions of people like Poteat, pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities have made health care much more accessible. […] “What the flexibility of telehealth allows during Covid was to shift gears extraordinarily rapidly,” said Dr. Shawn Ryan, a regional director of the American Society of Addiction Medicine."
— 2022 April 29, Tasnim Ahmed, “Back to the doctor’s office? Here’s what’s next for telehealth after the pandemic”, in CNN, archived from the original on 07 May 2022:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Yoga greatly improved her body's ____, allowing her to touch her toes effortlessly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The yoga class focuses on improving both balance and ____ through a series of daily stretching exercises.