ductile

American  

[duhk-tl, -til] / ˈdʌk tl, -tɪl /

adjective

1. capable of being hammered out thin, as certain metals; malleable.

2. capable of being drawn out into wire or threads, as gold.

3. able to undergo change of form without breaking.

4. capable of being molded or shaped; plastic.

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ductile British  

/ dʌkˈtɪlɪtɪ, ˈdʌktaɪl /

adjective

1. (of a metal, such as gold or copper) able to be drawn out into wire

2. able to be moulded; pliant; plastic

3. easily led or influenced; tractable

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ductile Scientific  

/ dŭk′təl /

1. Easily stretched without breaking or lowering in material strength. Gold is relatively ductile at room temperature, and most metals become more ductile with increasing temperature.

2. Compare brittle malleable

3. Relating to rock or other materials that are capable of withstanding a certain amount of force by changing form before fracturing or breaking.

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Other Word Forms

• ductilely
  adverb
• ductileness
  noun
• ductility
  noun
• nonductile
  adjective
• semiductile
  adjective
• unductile
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ductile

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin ductilis, equivalent to duct(us) (past participle of dūcere “to draw along”) + -ilis adjective suffix ( see -ile)

Explanation

If you can bend or shape a substance, especially if it's made of metal, it is ductile. If they can stretch a metal into a thin wire, scientists consider it to be ductile. If you agree with what everyone else does or says, you too might be ductile, or easily manipulated. Some more commonly used synonyms for ductile are malleable, for both senses of the word, and pliable or flexible, for the literal sense. The word shares the same root as the word duke. If you are a duke, you probably hope your people are ductile, or easy to lead.

Example Sentences

“Iron is just more durable. It’s a more proven material,” said Patrick Hogan, president of the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association, the industry’s main lobby group.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2017

Ductile materials are like soft plastics or putty, they move under force.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Ductile deformation occurs when enough stress is applied to a material that the changes in its shape are permanent, and the material is no longer able to revert to its original shape.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Ductile, duk′til, adj. easily led: yielding: capable of being drawn out into threads.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Unusually Ductile Solid.—Platinum is the most ductile metal known.

From Assimilative Memory or, How to Attend and Never Forget by Loisette, A. (Alphonse)