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

• malleability

Examples of plasticity in a Sentence

we chose that type of clay for its greater plasticity

Recent Examples on the Web

One aspect of the brain's plasticity is its dependence on engaging with and incorporating external inputs. —Bruno V. Manno, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Dental caries in the fossil record: a window to the evolution of dietary plasticity in an extinct bear Alexis Mychajliw, an assistant professor of biology and environmental studies and head of the Holocene ecology, diversity, and global extinctions (HEDGE) lab at Middlebury College Brittanica. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024

There’s every reason to believe that a future generation of A.I. will acquire the motor plasticity of a real brain. —James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

Hippocampal plasticity underpins long-term cognitive gains from resistance exercise in MCI Sports Medicine. —Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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