supple

supple 1 flexible, resilient, *elastic, springy

Analogous words: pliable, pliant, *plastic: *soft, gentle, mild

Antonyms: stiff

2 Supple, limber, lithe, lithesome, lissome can all apply to bodily movements and mean showing freedom and ease in bending and twisting.

Supple implies great flexibility of muscles and joints, perfect muscular coordination, and rapidity yet smoothness in change of posture or movement

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the light supple spring of a cat from its hiding place

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the Bishop stood watching the flowing, supple movements of their arms and shoulders, the sure rhythm of their tiny moccasined feet— Cather

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in good condition —not fat, like grass-fed cattle, but trim and supple, like deer— Burroughs

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Limber also implies great flexibility of muscles and joints and the power to move quickly or easily, but it carries no clear suggestion of grace or of muscular coordination

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limber country boys jumping from rock to rock

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Gilda rose as limber as a 16-year-old, and gamboled the full length of the room— Purdy

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Lithe is applied chiefly to persons or animals that are slender, supple, nimble, and usually graceful in movements

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a lithe dancer

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they climbed the wall—your lady must be lithe— Browning

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a lithe movement of her apparently boneless little figure— Jesse

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Lithesome may suggest an agility and vigor that makes for sure graceful movement

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the warlike carriage of the men, and their strong, lithesome, resolute step— King lake

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an altogether more lithesome and nonetheless useful wolfhound— Nat'l Geog. Mag.

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Lissome tends to suggest a light easy supple grace in bearing or in movement

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she only wanted wings to fly away, easy and light and lissome— Ransom

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she dismounted with lissome grace, beaming welcomingly— Wodehouse

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the lissome grace of the cat tribe— Ste venson-H ami It on

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Analogous words: graceful, elegant (see corresponding nouns at ELEGANCE): *easy, smooth, effortless, facile