elasticity
noun
Simple meaning
The property by virtue of which a material deformed under load can regain its original dimensions when unloaded.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
eelastisuhteeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ilæsˈtɪsəti
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
physics
The property by virtue of which a material deformed under load can regain its original dimensions when unloaded
The quality of being elastic.
economics
The sensitivity of changes in a quantity with respect to changes in another quantity.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The property by virtue of which a material deformed under load can regain its original dimensions when unloaded
Used this way, elasticity is a specialist word with a mildly favourable edge. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
- Ethics/values
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The elasticity of a body that has been pulled out of shape by a shearing force.
The ratio of the applied stress to the change in shape of an elastic body.
The ratio of the applied stress to the change in shape of an elastic body.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- stiffnessnoun
- coefficientnoun
- elasticadjective
- shearnoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: property by virtue of which a material deformed under load can regain its original dimensions when unloaded
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.