English Reference
adjective · noun

yielding

adj. · n.
US /ˈjiɫdɪŋ/ UK /jˈiːldɪŋ/ yield·ing

  1. 01 C1 Advanced Literary

    adj.willing to do what other people want or easy to persuade.

    adj.inclined to submit to the will or influence of others; lacking in psychological or social resistance.

    Simple

    He had a yielding nature and usually let his friends choose where to eat.

    In context

    The negotiator mistook her yielding tone for a lack of resolve, failing to realise she was merely waiting for a better opening.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Formal

    n.the act of giving up something or agreeing to a demand.

    n.the act of conceding or giving way in an argument or negotiation.

    Simple

    The final agreement required a small yielding from both sides.

    In context

    The treaty was seen as a significant yielding of territorial claims that had been disputed for over a century.

This retooling is yielding results, said Skibitskyi, as Russian industry is beating production targets in most missile categories.

Al Jazeera· 14 Aug 2026

In the visible universe as a whole, there are an estimated 2tn galaxies, yielding a total of about 100 sextillion stars.

The Guardian· 11 Aug 2026

Etymology 1

From Middle English ȝeldinge, ȝeldynge, ȝeldinde, ȝeldand, from Old English ġyldende, ġieldende, present participle of ġieldan (“to yield, pay”), equivalent to yield + -ing.

Etymology 2

From Middle English yelding, yeldinge, ȝeldynge, equivalent to yield + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old English ġyldende
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated