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I saw a YouTube video and in this video, he says

[...] and makes your hair more manageable and more work-with-able, if that's a word.

(emphasis added)

Now I think it's perfectly fine to say something like that because, in daily conversations, you can make up words as much as you like. However, it's definitely not a word in a dictionary.

So my question is, what adjective is a good replacement for "work-with-able" in this context?

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    I'm not sure what work-with-able is supposed to mean if it doesn't mean manageable. If it does mean manageable, why would you need another word?
    – Juhasz
    May 29, 2019 at 14:51
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    @AmirAShabani yes, right now that slot in the sentence calls for an adjective. That is precisely my point. If you can't find a particular part of speech to shoehorn into a slot, rephrase the sentence such that you can use a different part of speech. If no adjective exists, use a noun. Or a verb.
    – RegDwigнt ♦
    May 29, 2019 at 17:44
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    As to words being or not being recognized by dictionaries, that's a dangerous approach to take. All dictionaries always lag behind the actual language, by definition. In order to find its way into a dictionary, the word needs to be created first. Note that "Reg" is not recognized by any dictionary, and neither is "Amir". Are these not words? Why are we calling ourselves things that are not words? How are people supposed to refer to you or me if our names are not words?
    – RegDwigнt ♦
    May 29, 2019 at 17:46
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    Isn't manageable on its own sufficient? It seems to me that adding work-with-able (or any synonym) is redundant.
    – Jason Bassford
    May 30, 2019 at 5:54
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    Please check my edit and roll back if you don't like it.
    – aparente001
    Jun 11, 2019 at 15:40

2 Answers 2

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Well, simply workable:

Able to be worked, fashioned, or manipulated.
‘more flour and salt can be added until they make a workable dough’

(source: Oxford Dictionaries)

The term "workable hair" is even used by hair cosmetics producers, e.g. this product.

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  • Okay, you found an example of someone using workable for hair. But most people who work with their own or someone else's hair don't use workable for hair. Working with bread dough or pie dough or cookie dough or whatever is completely different from working with hair.
    – aparente001
    Jun 11, 2019 at 15:39
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Stylable: Capable of being styled (yourdictionary.com). Style (verb): form or arrange something in a particular way (yourdictionary.com)

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