elasticity

American  

[ih-la-stis-i-tee, ee-la-stis-] / ɪ læˈstɪs ɪ ti, ˌi læˈstɪs- /

noun

1. the state or quality of being elastic.

2. flexibility; resilience; adaptability.

   a statement with a great elasticity of meaning.

3. ability to resist or overcome depression; buoyancy.

4. Physics. the property of a substance that enables it to change its length, volume, or shape in direct response to a force effecting such a change and to recover its original form upon the removal of the force.

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elasticity British  

/ ɪlæˈstɪsɪtɪ, ˌiːlæ- /

noun

1. the property of a body or substance that enables it to resume its original shape or size when a distorting force is removed See also elastic limit

2. the state or quality of being elastic; flexibility or buoyancy

3. a measure of the sensitivity of demand for goods or services to changes in price or other marketing variables, such as advertising

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elasticity Scientific  

/ ĭ-lă-stĭs′ĭ-tē /

1. The ability of a solid to return to its original shape or form after being subject to strain. Most solid materials display elasticity, up to a load point called the elastic limit; loads higher than this limit cause permanent deformation of the material.

2. See also Hooke's law

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elasticity ¹ Cultural  

1. The property of a material that allows it to return to its original shape after having been deformed and to exert a force while deformed. (See stress.)

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elasticity ² Cultural  

1. A shift in either demand or supply of a good or service depending on its price. Demand is said to be elastic when it responds quickly to changes in prices, and inelastic when it responds sluggishly.

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Other Word Forms

• nonelasticity noun
• unelasticity noun

Etymology

Origin of elasticity

First recorded in 1655–65; elastic + -ity

Explanation

Something with elasticity can be stretched or pulled and will return to its original size and shape. The elasticity of a balloon means that if you pop it, it shrinks back to the size it was before you blew it up. Rubber bands have elasticity, and so do tennis balls and even human skin. The quality of something that stretches and then returns to its initial shape — its elasticity — is also a term in physics. Physicists describe it as the tendency of a solid object, after being deformed by forces applied to it, to return to its original shape when those forces are taken away. The Greek root of elasticity is elastos, or "flexible."

Example Sentences

They suggest “increased demand elasticity in the current cycle from higher fuel prices and a weakening consumer environment,” analyst Anthony Moulder says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

In most cases, elasticity only becomes relevant when a liquid is cooled below its "glass transition," the point where it begins to behave more like a solid.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

Some of the wilder estimates of $200 for Brent suggest to Brooks an assumption that price elasticity is zero – in other words, demand is not impacted at all.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Bono’s voice has as much power and elasticity as ever.

From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026

At the beginning of this century, for example, it was thought that everything could be explained in terms of the properties of continuous matter, such as elasticity and heat conduction.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Related Words

• adaptability
• flexibility
• resilience