Flexibility means the ability to bend, adapt, or change without breaking. Your body has flexibility when you can touch your toes or twist around to look behind you. A rubber band has flexibility because it stretches and returns to its original shape. A stiff metal rod has no flexibility at all.

Flexibility applies beyond the physical realm. When a teacher shows flexibility by changing the schedule because half the class is sick, she's adapting her plans to fit new circumstances. When you show flexibility in solving a math problem by trying a different approach after your first method doesn't work, you're adjusting your thinking.

People with mental flexibility can consider new ideas, change their minds when they learn something new, and find creative solutions when their first plan fails. If you've ever had to switch from playing outside to indoor games when it started raining, you've practiced flexibility.

The opposite of flexibility is rigidity: being stiff, unbending, or unable to adapt. A tree branch with flexibility bends in strong winds, while a rigid branch snaps. Someone rigid in their thinking can't adjust when things change, while someone flexible finds new ways forward.