plasticity

noun

plas·​tic·​i·​ty pla-ˈsti-sə-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being plastic

especially : capacity for being molded or altered

2

: the ability to retain a shape attained by pressure deformation

3

: the capacity of organisms with the same genotype to vary in developmental pattern, in phenotype, or in behavior according to varying environmental conditions

4

: the capacity for continuous alteration of the neural pathways and synapses of the living brain and nervous system in response to experience or injury

Synonyms of plasticity

• malleability
• flexibility

Examples of plasticity in a Sentence

we chose that type of clay for its greater plasticity

Recent Examples on the Web

He is best known for his work on sensory substitution, time perception, brain plasticity, synesthesia, and neurolaw. — Big Think, 6 Aug. 2026

That plasticity can go either way, however—positive change, a relapse risk or a period of destabilization that’s especially dangerous for anorexia, Finkelstein cautions. — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026

Emerging research suggests people with treatment-resistant depression may not have enough plasticity in the brain, and these experimental drugs try to change that. — Angelica Peebles, CNBC, 16 July 2026

Both required enormous amounts of selflessness, stamina, plasticity, courage, and improvisation. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for plasticity

• basicity
• chronicity
• complicity
• cyclicity
• duplicity
• ethnicity
• facticity
• felicity
• helicity
• publicity
• rusticity
• simplicity

Kids Definition

plasticity

noun

plas·​tic·​i·​ty pla-ˈstis-ət-ē 

: the quality or state of being plastic

especially : capacity for being molded or changed in form or shape

Medical Definition

plasticity

noun

plas·​tic·​i·​ty pla-ˈstis-ət-ē 

plural plasticities

1

: the quality or state of being plastic

especially : capacity for being molded or altered

2

: the ability to retain a shape attained by pressure deformation

3

: the capacity of organisms with the same genotype to vary in developmental pattern, in phenotype, or in behavior according to varying environmental conditions

4

: the capacity for continuous alteration of the neural pathways and synapses of the living brain and nervous system in response to experience or injury that involves the formation of new pathways and synapses and the elimination or modification of existing ones