Synonyms of plastic

plastic

adjective

1

as in waxy

capable of being easily molded or modeled

Silly Putty is famous for being very plastic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• waxy
• moldable
• adaptable
• malleable
• shapeable
• flexible
• shapable
• giving
• yielding
• bending
• bendable
• ductile
• elastic
• pliable
• waxen
• pliant
• bendy
• resilient
• willowy
• workable
• supple
• limber
• tractable
• flexile
• kneadable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rigid
• stiff
• inflexible
• intractable

2

as in mock

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

there's usually a plastic cordiality at these corporate events

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mock
• strained
• fake
• unnatural
• mechanical
• false
• artificial
• simulated
• pseudo
• affected
• exaggerated
• phoney
• forced
• theatrical
• assumed
• hollow
• cute
• contrived
• theatric
• phony
• bogus
• empty
• sham
• factitious
• spurious
• feigned
• pretended
• wooden
• automatic
• put-on
• manufactured
• unreal
• pat
• stiff
• formal
• conventional
• deliberate
• calculated
• canned
• fabricated
• unrealistic
• unauthentic
• rigid
• hypocritical
• conscious
• insincere
• concocted
• facile
• labored
• melodramatic
• mealy
• hokey
• unctuous
• stylized
• impersonal
• cultivated
• mincing
• histrionic
• two-faced
• left-handed
• inflexible
• artful
• cutesy
• overdone
• mealymouthed
• genteel
• studied
• premeditated
• simpering
• double-dealing
• overacted
• overrefined
• goody-goody

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• natural
• genuine
• real
• spontaneous
• realistic
• unaffected
• bona fide
• authentic
• artless
• right
• true
• smooth
• sincere
• easy
• unfeigned
• honest
• ingenuous
• unforced
• uncontrived
• unconscious
• impromptu
• instinctive
• effortless
• unpretending
• impulsive
• extemporaneous
• unstudied
• unrehearsed
• unprompted

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective plastic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of plastic are adaptable, ductile, malleable, pliable, and pliant. While all these words mean "susceptible of being modified in form or nature," plastic applies to substances soft enough to be molded yet capable of hardening into the desired fixed form.

plastic materials allow the sculptor greater freedom

In what contexts can adaptable take the place of plastic?

While in some cases nearly identical to plastic, adaptable implies the capability of being easily modified to suit other conditions, needs, or uses.

computer hardware that is adaptable

When can ductile be used instead of plastic?

The words ductile and plastic can be used in similar contexts, but ductile applies to what can be drawn out or extended with ease.

ductile metals such as copper

When is it sensible to use malleable instead of plastic?

Although the words malleable and plastic have much in common, malleable applies to what may be pressed or beaten into shape.

the malleable properties of gold

When would pliable be a good substitute for plastic?

The meanings of pliable and plastic largely overlap; however, pliable suggests something easily bent, folded, twisted, or manipulated.

pliable rubber tubing

When might pliant be a better fit than plastic?

The words pliant and plastic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pliant may stress flexibility and sometimes connote springiness.

an athletic shoe with a pliant sole

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of plastic

Children's clothing can get caught on the plastic or metal hooks posing a strangulation hazard. —Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Aug. 2025

The design also gives the Tempo very thin walls; the sides are only about an inch thick, which is about half as thick as the walls of most plastic coolers. —Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 2 Aug. 2025

Streets will be filled with tables that form makeshift sidewalks in a few feet of water, and walking around requires thigh-high plastic waders. —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 1 Aug. 2025

Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Jared Gray, 25, in June after investigators discovered his fingerprint on the bottom of a plastic cup inside the vehicle where Vega’s body was found, according to court records. —Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 30 July 2025