contractile

American  

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

adjective

1. capable of contracting or causing contraction.

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contractile British  

/ kənˈtræktaɪl /

adjective

1. having the power to contract or to cause contraction

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Other Word Forms

• contractility
  noun
• uncontractile
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of contractile

First recorded in 1700–10; contract + -ile

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contractile

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 model also predicted how another type of contractile fiber could be targeted by the experimental Src inhibitor WH4023, which they experimentally validated with human cardiac fibroblasts.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2024

Furthermore, declaring a single, electrically active and contractile organ, or the contractile cells it comes from, the stand-alone determinant of personhood is simply not valid.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 23, 2023

The function of the nerve cells is to carry signals from sensory cells and to contractile cells.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

"The anus is situated on the back close beneath the ciliary circle;" and the "contractile vesicle on a level with the ciliary wreath."

From Marvels of Pond-life A Year's Microscopic Recreations by Henry J. Slack

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