supple vs taut

supple

adj
  • Lithe and agile when moving and bending. 

  • Compliant; yielding to the will of others. 

  • Pliant, flexible, easy to bend. 

verb
  • To make or become supple. 

  • To make compliant, submissive, or obedient. 

taut

adj
  • Neat and well-disciplined; (by extension) efficient and in order. 

  • Containing only relevant parts; brief and controlled. 

  • Experiencing anxiety or stress. 

  • Under tension, like a stretched bowstring, rope, or sail; tight. 

  • Strong; uncompromising. 

  • Not flabby; firm, toned; (of a person) having a lean, strong body. 

verb
  • To make taut; to tauten, to tighten. 

How often have the words supple and taut occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )