Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

nitinol

American  
[nit-n-awl, -ol] / ˈnɪt nˌɔl, -ˌɒl /

noun

  1. a paramagnetic alloy of nickel and titanium that, after heating and deformation, resumes its original shape when reheated.


Etymology

Origin of nitinol

1965–70; ni(ckel) + ti(tanium) + N(aval) O(rdnance) L(aboratory) , Silver Spring, Maryland, where the alloy was developed

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

One promising material is nitinol, an alloy of nickel and titanium.

From BBC May 12, 2025

Known as 'artificial muscles', the shape-memory wires made of super-elastic nitinol absorb heat in the cooling chamber and release it to the outer environment.

From Science Daily Apr. 2, 2024

The family affinity is also expressed in the use of the same nitinol headband and the same cable connectors across all four models.

From The Verge Jul. 30, 2018

“Skorpions,” for example, involves a padded garment threaded with nitinol wires; when a performer wears the garment, electrical currents pulse through the wires to make them contract, making the dress writhe like a sentient creature.

From The New Yorker Jul. 27, 2015

His motors work because the alloy nitinol can assume different shapes as its temperature fluctuates.

From Time Magazine Archive

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training