Flexible means able to bend easily without breaking. A rubber band is flexible because it stretches and returns to its original shape. A tree branch bends in the wind rather than snapping because it's flexible. Your body becomes more flexible when you practice stretching, allowing you to touch your toes or do a cartwheel more easily.

The word also describes being adaptable or willing to adjust plans. When your teacher is flexible about an assignment deadline because you were sick, she's showing she can adapt to the situation. A flexible schedule means you can shift things around when needed. Someone with a flexible mind considers different viewpoints and changes their thinking when they learn new information.

Being flexible is useful in both senses. A rigid piece of plastic might snap under pressure, while a flexible one survives. Similarly, people who remain too rigid in their thinking or plans often struggle when circumstances change. A student with a flexible approach to solving a math problem might discover three different ways to reach the answer, while someone less flexible might get stuck trying only one method that isn't working.