plasticity
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being plastic.
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the capability of being molded, receiving shape, or being made to assume a desired form.
the plasticity of social institutions; the great plasticity of clay.
noun
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the quality of being plastic or able to be moulded
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(in pictorial art) the quality of depicting space and form so that they appear three-dimensional
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of plasticity
Explanation
Plasticity means "changeability" or "moldability" — clay has a lot of plasticity, but a rock has almost none. It helps to think of plastic when learning what plasticity means. See how plastic can be molded into all sorts of things, and even when it's in a totally solid form, it's not hard like stone? Plasticity refers to things that can still change their shape or function. The brain is something with high plasticity: if you have a brain injury, other parts of the brain can change to pick up the slack. Anything that is capable of evolving or being reshaped has plasticity.
Vocabulary lists containing plasticity
Challenge, List 11
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 2
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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.
Studies show young brains have high plasticity that makes it easier for children to grasp new languages naturally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
This ability to change and form new connections, often called neural plasticity, helps the brain learn new information and skills.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Giving it greater plasticity could make it easier to manufacture and allow engineers to create more sophisticated structures for engines and other high-performance systems.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
As a result, cells lose what scientists call metabolic plasticity, their ability to rapidly adapt to shifting energy demands.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
Despite a noticeable lack of force, directness, and plasticity in the characterization, the vie intérieure is most convincingly expressed.
From Prophets of Dissent : Essays on Maeterlinck, Strindberg, Nietzsche and Tolstoy by Otto Heller
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
