contractile

American  

[kuhn-trak-tl, -til] / kənˈtræk tl, -tɪl /

adjective

1. capable of contracting or causing contraction.

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contractile British  

/ ˌkɒntrækˈtɪlɪtɪ, kənˈtræktaɪl /

adjective

1. having the power to contract or to cause contraction

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Other Word Forms

• contractility noun
• uncontractile adjective

Etymology

Origin of contractile

First recorded in 1700–10; contract + -ile

Example Sentences

Their earlier work had shown that small contractile cells called pericytes tighten coronary capillaries during the early stages of ischemia, a condition that occurs when the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen-rich blood.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

The research team found that some of the proteins in the muscle cells act as a temperature sensor, and that heating affects skeletal and cardiac contractile systems differently.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

In a paper published today in Nature, researchers report refashioning Photorhabdus’s syringe—called a contractile injection system—so that it can attach to human cells and inject large proteins into them.

From Scientific American • Mar. 29, 2023

For example, in the mechanical work of muscle contraction, ATP supplies the energy to move the contractile muscle proteins.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The thrombus not only tends to become enlarged by further depositions of material from the blood, but it also tends to become diminished in size from the contractile properties of its fibrinous constituent.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various