Vocabulary in context
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Plasticity
The quality of being easily shaped or molded; the ability to adapt or change, especially in materials science and neuroscience.
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Imagine This
Picture a lump of clay that never hardens; you can hammer, roll, and twist it into any form, and it remembers every shape you've given it.
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Sounds Like
PLAS-ti-si-tee
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Looks Like
plastic + ity
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Remember This
Plasticity is a core idea in both making things and learning—neural plasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to experience.
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Other Forms
plasticadjective
plasticallyadverb
plasticizeverb
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Connect With
malleability, pliability, adaptability, neural plasticity, elasticity
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Note
Not to be confused with elasticity, where a material returns to its original shape after deformation. Plasticity implies irreversible or long-lasting change.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The clay's plasticity allowed the potter to mold it into a delicate vase.
- Neural plasticity enables the brain to form new connections after learning or injury.
Synonyms
malleabilitypliabilityflexibilityadjustabilityreformability
Antonyms
rigidityinflexibilitystiffness
Etymology
From Latin plasticus 'moldable' and Greek plastikos 'able to be molded', with the suffix -ity forming the noun.
Mnemonic
Plasticity = plastic + ity: remember that something with plasticity can be shaped and kept in its new form; think of a clay sculpture that remembers every bend.
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Raucous
adjectiveMaking or constituting a loud, harsh, and boisterous noise; unruly and disruptive.
Compromise
verbTo settle differences by making concessions during negotiation; or to expose to risk or harm by allowing protections, standards, or integrity to be weakened.
Renounce
verbTo give up or reject (a claim, right, or position); to abandon.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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