inelastic

adjective

in·​elas·​tic ˌi-nə-ˈla-stik How to pronounce inelastic (audio)
: not elastic: such as
b
: slow to react or respond to changing conditions
inelasticity
ˌi-ni-ˌla-ˈsti-s(ə-)tē How to pronounce inelastic (audio)
(ˌ)i-ˌnē-ˌla-
noun

Examples of inelastic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those anxieties are based on the incorrect assumption that demand is fixed, or inelastic, and hence insensitive to price and cost changes. James Manyika and Michael Spence, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023 Suddenly these trends are making OECD demand even more inelastic. Oil growth outside the OECD is primarily in India and China. Mark Le Dain, Forbes, 16 July 2023 But companies that sell consumer goods with inelastic demand (an unchanging demand regardless of the times) are usually a good option. Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022 After inelastic response comes failure, which means the crust breaks, potentially producing conduits for magma to reach the surface ... in other words: eruption. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2023 So this idea that businesses are increasingly catering to -- as the wealth gap gets bigger -- a portion of the population that is more price inelastic and that can afford these services. Joe Weisenthal, Bloomberg.com, 4 May 2023 Similarly, biotech has some strong tailwinds, says Tighe, given that as the aging population faces disease and chronic illness, there’s tremendous innovation in the space and a consumer commitment to inelastic spending when health and well-being are on the line. Nicole Gull McElroy, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2022 For now, the drug industry and much of the broader healthcare sector—with the exception of biotech, where rising interest-rate costs are a bigger problem—represents a haven because of the relatively inelastic nature of consumer demand for its products. David Wainer, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2022 Each time your neural network learns a task, more of its neurons will become inelastic. IEEE Spectrum, 27 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inelastic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inelastic was in 1748

Dictionary Entries Near inelastic

Cite this Entry

“Inelastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inelastic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inelastic

adjective
in·​elas·​tic ˌin-ə-ˈlas-tik How to pronounce inelastic (audio)
: not elastic : slow to respond to changing conditions
inelasticity noun

Medical Definition

inelastic

adjective
in·​elas·​tic ˌin-i-ˈlas-tik How to pronounce inelastic (audio)
: not elastic
inelasticity noun
plural inelasticities

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