ductile

[ duhk-tl, -til ]

See synonyms for: ductile ductileness ductility on Thesaurus.com

adjective

capable of being hammered out thin, as certain metals; malleable.
capable of being drawn out into wire or threads, as gold.

able to undergo change of form without breaking.
capable of being molded or shaped; plastic.

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)

Other words from ductile

duc·tile·ly, adverb
duc·til·i·ty [duhk-til-i-tee], /dʌkˈtɪl ɪ ti/, duc·tile·ness, noun
non·duc·tile, adjective
sem·i·duc·tile, adjective
un·duc·tile, adjective

Words Nearby ductile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ductile in a sentence

Other kinds of lava are much more ductile and viscous, and coagulate superficially in glossy or wrinkled crusts.
Geology | James Geikie
Consider the vigour, popularity, pleasantness of an art of coinage thus ductile to events, and easy in manipulution.
Val d'Arno | John Ruskin
Copper is very malleable and ductile when cold, and in this state may be easily worked under the hammer.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting | Harold P. Manly
It forms a metal with high tensile strength while being ductile and malleable.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting | Harold P. Manly
The most ductile and tenacious soft iron, free from all blemishes, must be selected for this slip.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for ductile

ductile

/ (ˈdʌktaɪl) /

adjective

(of a metal, such as gold or copper) able to be drawn out into wire
able to be moulded; pliant; plastic

easily led or influenced; tractable

Origin of ductile

C14: from Old French, from Latin ductilis, from dūcere to lead

Derived forms of ductile

ductilely, adverb
ductility (dʌkˈtɪlɪtɪ) or ductileness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ductile

ductile

[ dŭk′təl ]

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. Compare brittle malleable.
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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