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
The research is part of a larger effort to understand how plasticity in the brain's sensory systems contributes to learning and long-term memory.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 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
The researchers then performed electrophysiological recordings on hippocampal tissue samples to assess synaptic plasticity, the brain's ability to strengthen or weaken connections between nerve cells in response to experience and learning.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026
Because of the greater plasticity of the neural mechanism in youth it is easier to open up and fix pathways of conduction than in later years.
From Being Well-Born An Introduction to Eugenics by Michael F. Guyer
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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.
