What does plasticity mean?
Plasticity is the quality of being able to change, adapt, or be shaped. In neuroscience, it describes the brain's ability to reorganize its neural connections in response to learning, experience, or injury, making plasticity a useful term for explaining how people and animals develop new abilities. Biologists also use it for the capacity of organisms or tissues to adjust their development in response to environmental conditions. In materials science, plasticity means that a material can undergo lasting deformation without breaking, distinguishing it from elasticity, which involves reversible change. The word can also describe the adaptability of institutions, organizations, and cultural practices, although that broader use is less technical. Overall, plasticity emphasizes flexibility rather than permanent rigidity, whether the subject is a brain, a material, a living organism, or a social system.
nounThe capacity to be shaped, altered, or adapted. In biology and psychology it refers to an organism's or nervous system's ability to change; in materials science it describes the ability of a material to undergo permanent deformation without fracturing.
- The capacity to change or adapt in response to experience, conditions, or environmental pressures.
- The physical property of being capable of being shaped, moulded, or permanently deformed.
- The capacity of living organisms, tissues, or populations to alter their development or characteristics in response to changing circumstances.
"The brain's capacity for plasticity allows it to adapt to new experiences throughout life."
"Children's language development illustrates the remarkable plasticity of the human brain."
"The material's plasticity allows it to be formed into panels without cracking."
Rare in modern usage; plasticity is normally treated as an uncountable noun, especially in biological, cognitive, and materials-science contexts.
"The researchers compared the plasticities of different biological tissues."
Your brain's wiring is not permanently fixed: plasticity allows neural networks to reorganize as you learn and adapt.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plasticity come from?
Plasticity entered English in the 17th century, formed from plastic and the suffix -ity. Plastic came through Latin from Greek plastikos, meaning "moulded" or "fitted for moulding," which was derived from plassein, "to mould." The same root underlies the family of words describing moulding, formation, and adaptation.
Related word forms
How plasticity is actually used
The term is most common in technical contexts, including biology, neuroscience, psychology, and materials science. In general discussion, it often carries a positive sense of adaptability and resilience, whereas in materials science it may describe permanent rather than reversible deformation.
Easily confused with plasticity
Plasticity is a capacity or process of changing, whereas a plastic is a synthetic material or an adaptable object.
Elasticity is the ability of a material to recover its original shape after deformation, while plasticity generally refers to permanent deformation or capacity for adaptation.