plasticity

[ pla-stis-i-tee ]

/ plæˈstɪs ɪ ti /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for plasticity on Thesaurus.com

noun

the quality or state of being plastic.

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of plasticity

First recorded in 1725–35; plastic + -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM plasticity

non·plas·tic·i·ty, noun

Words nearby plasticity

plastic bullet, plastic explosive, plastic flow, plastic foam, Plasticine, plasticity, plasticize, plasticizer, plasticky, plastic money, plastic Paddy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plasticity in a sentence

The neural plasticity, or ability of the brain to change, that this protein stimulates has been shown to boost cognitive function, including learning and memory.
Swimming is the ultimate brain exercise. Here’s why.|Purbita Saha|July 28, 2021|Popular-Science
For many people, the brain can spontaneously recover its plasticity once the stress goes away.
How to mend your broken pandemic brain|Dana Smith|July 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Some researchers think that these drugs also enhance plasticity in the brain and, when paired with psychotherapy, can be a powerful treatment.
How to mend your broken pandemic brain|Dana Smith|July 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Neuroscientists suspect that this behavior, known as spike timing dependent plasticity, is the fundamental axiom that neural networks use to code for causality.
How to Unlearn a Disease - Issue 103: Healthy Communication|Kelly Clancy|July 14, 2021|Nautilus

This state is critical to our ability to learn and memorize, as well as for plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt to something strange and new.
How Virtual Reality Unveiled a Unique Brain Wave That Could Boost Learning|Shelly Fan|July 6, 2021|Singularity Hub
Second is a book on brain plasticity—that is, how the brain constantly reconfigures its own circuitry.
The David Eagleman Interview: How I Write|Noah Charney|May 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This John is sickly and sallow, his body lacking plasticity.
Caravaggio's Grand Passions|Adam Eaker|June 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It may express itself in the masses as mere plasticity and softness of spirit.
The New Society|Walther Rathenau
This is what is called plasticity, the power of changing shape without disintegration.
Evolution of Life and Form|Annie Wood Besant
For the great advantage, it seems to me, that America possesses over the Old World is its material and moral plasticity.
America To-day, Observations and Reflections|William Archer
X-ray-diffraction studies showed no material differences, nor were there detectable differences in “feel”, smell, or plasticity.
Atoms, Nature, and Man|Neal O. Hines
Its perfect plasticity allows it to be rolled into sheets, drawn into tubes, or moulded into any desired shape.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 613, October 1, 1887|Various

British Dictionary definitions for plasticity

plasticity

/ (plæˈstɪsɪtɪ) /

noun

the quality of being plastic or able to be moulded

(in pictorial art) the quality of depicting space and form so that they appear three-dimensional

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

plasticity

Origin of plasticity

OTHER WORDS FROM plasticity

Words nearby plasticity

Words related to plasticity

How to use plasticity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for plasticity