*liable*

a. Able to enter into alliance. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Apply. ] Applicable; also, compliant. [ Obs. ] Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of bending or yielding; apt to yield; compliant. [ 1913 Webster ]

Another compliable mind. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Jews . . . had made their religion compliable, and accommodated to their passions. Jortin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. conciliabulum, fr. concitium assembly: cf. F. conciliabule. See Council. ] A small or private assembly, especially of an ecclesiastical nature. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. conciliable. ] Capable of being conciliated or reconciled. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not pliable; inflexible; unyielding. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not compliable; not conformable. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From F. lier to bind, L. ligare. Cf. Ally, v. t., Ligature. ] 1. Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable; as, the surety is liable for the debt of his principal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Exposed to a certain contingency or casualty, more or less probable; -- with to and an infinitive or noun; as, liable to slip; liable to accident. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Accountable; responsible; answerable; bound; subject; obnoxious; exposed. -- Liable, Subject. Liable refers to a future possible or probable happening which may not actually occur; as, horses are liable to slip; even the sagacious are liable to make mistakes. Subject refers to any actual state or condition belonging to the nature or circumstances of the person or thing spoken of, or to that which often befalls one. One whose father was subject to attacks of the gout is himself liable to have that disease. Men are constantly subject to the law, but liable to suffer by its infraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Proudly secure, yet liable to fall. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

All human things are subject to decay. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Quality of being liable; liability. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. multipliable. ] Capable of being multiplied. -- Mul"ti*pli`a*ble*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

a. [ F., fr. plier to bend, to fold. See Ply, v. ] 1. Capable of being plied, turned, or bent; easy to be bent; flexible; pliant; supple; limber; yielding; as, willow is a pliable plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Flexible in disposition; readily yielding to influence, arguments, persuasion, or discipline; easy to be persuaded; -- sometimes in a bad sense; as, a pliable youth. “Pliable she promised to be.” Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Pli"a*ble*ness, n. -- Pli"a*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependance or reliance; trustworthy. “A reliable witness to the truth of the miracles.” A. Norton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The best means, and most reliable pledge, of a higher object. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

According to General Livingston's humorous account, his own village of Elizabethtown was not much more reliable, being peopled in those agitated times by “unknown, unrecommended strangers, guilty-looking Tories, and very knavish Whigs.” W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Some authors take exception to this word, maintaining that it is unnecessary, and irregular in formation. It is, however, sanctioned by the practice of many careful writers as a most convenient substitute for the phrase to be relied upon, and a useful synonym for trustworthy, which is by preference applied to persons, as reliable is to things, such as an account, statement, or the like. The objection that adjectives derived from neuter verbs do not admit of a passive sense is met by the citation of laughable, worthy of being laughed at, from the neuter verb to laugh; available, fit or able to be availed of, from the neuter verb to avail; dispensable, capable of being dispensed with, from the neuter verb to dispense. Other examples might be added. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Re*li"a*ble*ness, n. -- Re*li"a*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Inapplicable. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

See abolishable.
See absolvable.
See absurd.
See abundant.
See accordant.
See adoptable.
See adventurous.
See affable.
See affectionate.
See afraid.
See alliable.
See allowable.
See alterable.
See ambiguous.
See ambitious.
See amendable.
See -American.
See amusive.
See angular.
See anxious.
See apocryphal.
See apostolic.
See apparent.
See appeasable.
See applausive.
See appreciable.
See apprehensible.
See apprehensive.
See approachable.
See artificial.
See artistic.
See assailable.
See attainable.
See attentive.
See authentic.
See available.
See bailable.
See bearable.
See beautiful.
See beliefful.
See believable.
See beneficial.
See benevolent.
See blamable.
See blemishable.
See blissful.
See boastful.
See bold.
See bookish.
See bounteous.
See bribable.
See brotherly.
See burdensome.
See businesslike.
See busy.
See candid.
See canonical.
See captious.
See careful.
See celestial.
See ceremonious.
See challengeable.
See changeable.
See chary.
See chastisable.
See cheerful.
See cheery.
See childish.
See chivalrous.
See choleric.
See christianlike.
See circumspect.
See civic.
See classible.
See classic.
See classical.
See cleanly.
See clear.
See clerical.
See clerklike.
See close.
See cloudy.
See clubbable.
See coagulable.
See cogitable.
See collectible.
See comic.
See commendable.
See commercial.
See communicable.
See communicative.
See compact.
See companionable.
See compassionate.
See compellable.
See competitive.
See complaisant.
See compliant. See complimentary.
See concealable.
See concurrent.
See conditionate.
See confinable.
See confutable.
See congealable.
See congenial.
See conjugal.
See conjunctive.
See conquerable.
See consecrate.
See containable.
See contaminate.
See contradictable.
See contrite.
See convenable.
See conventional.
See conversable.
See conversant.
See convertible.
See coquettish.
See cordial.
See corpulent.
See correspondent.
See corruptible.
See corruptive.
See costly.
See counselable.
See countable.
See counterfeit.
See courteous.
See courtierlike.
See courtly.
See crafty.
See creatable.
See critical.
See crystalline.
See cultivable.
See curious.
See customary.
See dangerous.
See daughterly.
See dead.
See deceivable.
See decidable.
See decipherable.
See declinable.
See decomposable.
See definable.
See delectable.
See deliberate.
See delightful.
See deliverable.
See democratic.
See demonstrable.
See demonstrative.
See deniable.
See derogatory.
See descendible.
See describable.
See desirable.
See desirous.
See despondent.
See devout.
See diaphanous.
See diligent.
See diminishable.
See discernible.
See disciplinable.
See discordant.
See discoverable.
See dissolvable.
See distinguishable.
See dividable.
See divine.
See domestic.
See doubtful.
[ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not reliable; untrustworthy. See Reliable. -- Un`re*li"a*ble*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

Alcibiades . . . was too unsteady, and (according to Mr. Coleridge's coinage) “unreliable;” or perhaps, in more correct English, too “unrelyuponable.” De Quincey. [1913 Webster]