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

The video opens with Ryder lounging on a plastic lounge chair, unfazed, while her muscular partner paces nearby, yelling into his phone. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2026

Instead, greenery can be put in a plastic bag and put in garbage carts. —St. Paul Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026

Hazmat teams are monitoring the air quality in Roselle Park, New Jersey, on Friday after a massive fire at a plastic fabrication warehouse sent chemicals into the air. —Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026

At one point, Smith reaches into the back of the cart and produces a plastic baggy of cigars and offers me one. —Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026