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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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for May 27–June 2, 2023
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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.
The results showed that sleep deprivation disrupted the maintenance of synaptic plasticity in the CA2 region.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
The researchers also found that caffeine administered before sleep deprivation restored synaptic communication in the CA2 region and returned plasticity to normal levels.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
They rely on plasticity, the brain's ability to adapt by strengthening or weakening connections or by altering structure.
From Science Daily • May 3, 2026
Previously, scientists believed gene therapies for hearing loss had to be administered in the first few years of life before the window closed on brain plasticity, said Jonathon Whitton, Regeneron’s lead researcher on this drug.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
If temperature is increased to fusion, welding is practically perfect; if to plasticity and mobility of surfaces, welding should be nearly perfect.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua
Definitions 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.
