Meaning & use
elasticity
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Meanings
noununcountablephysics
The ability of a material to stretch or bend and then return to its original shape.
Grammar: Uncountable: the elasticity of rubber.
Patterns
- the elasticity of something
- lose elasticity
Rubber bands lose elasticity if they are left in the sun.
The elasticity of the fabric makes these jeans comfortable.
Young skin has more elasticity than older skin.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnicalbusiness
In economics, a measure of how much the demand for or supply of something changes when its price or another factor changes.
Grammar: Often followed by of and a noun: the elasticity of demand.
Patterns
- the elasticity of demand
- price elasticity
Luxury goods tend to have a high price elasticity of demand.
Bread has low elasticity because people buy it whatever the price.
The study measured the elasticity of supply in the housing market.
noununcountablefigurativeformal
The ability to adapt easily to new conditions or changes.
Grammar: Uncountable and figurative: the elasticity of language.
Patterns
- elasticity of something
The elasticity of the language allows new words to enter quickly.
Her mind had a mental elasticity that helped her learn quickly.
Word forms
| plural | elasticities |
|---|
Common combinations
- price elasticity
- Price elasticity tells us how sales change when prices rise.
- lose elasticity
- Old socks lose their elasticity after many washes.
- elasticity of demand
- The elasticity of demand for salt is very low.
- skin elasticity
- The cream claims to improve skin elasticity.
- high elasticity
- The material has high elasticity and springs back instantly.
- modulus of elasticity
- Engineers use the modulus of elasticity to compare materials.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stretchiness
- Stretchiness is an informal word for how far something stretches, while elasticity also stresses returning to shape.
- flexibility
- Flexibility is the ability to bend or change, but unlike elasticity it does not imply springing back to the original shape.
- resilience
- Resilience is the ability to recover from damage or stress, and is used more for people and systems than materials.
- springiness
- Springiness is casual and describes bounce, whereas elasticity is the scientific word.
Opposites
Word family
- elastic adjective
- able to stretch and return to its shape
- elastic noun
- stretchy cord or fabric used in clothes
- elastically adverb
- in a way that stretches and springs back
- inelastic adjective
- not able to stretch, or in economics, not reacting much to price
- elasticated adjective
- British word for fitted with stretchy material
Commonly confused: elasticity or plasticity? elasticity or elastic?
elasticity vs plasticity
Plasticity is the ability to be shaped and keep the new shape, whereas elasticity is the ability to return to the old shape.
elasticity vs elastic
Elastic is the adjective or the stretchy material itself; elasticity is the noun for the property.
Practice
A rubber band snaps back to its original shape after being stretched. This property is called ___.
Choose one answer.
Elasticity is the ability to return to shape after stretching. Plasticity means keeping a new shape, which is a tempting wrong answer, and rigidity and brittleness mean the opposite of stretchy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “elasticity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.