plastic

PLAS-tik/ˈplæstɪk/

17 meanings of plastic

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A light, man-made material that can be molded into bottles, toys, and many other everyday things.
Like clay that hardens: you can shape it, and then it keeps that shape.
Most water bottles are made of plastic.
Plastic does not break down quickly in nature.
Similarpolymer
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2
adjective
Made from plastic rather than wood, metal, or glass.
She bought a cheap plastic chair for the garden.
The toy is plastic, so it floats in the bath.
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3
nouncolloquialmetonymicallycountable or uncountable
Credit or debit cards used to pay for things instead of cash.
Like having money in your pocket, but it's a card instead of bills.
I forgot my cash, so I paid with plastic.
These days most people buy everything with plastic.
Similarcards, credit
Oppositecash
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4
adjective
Able to be bent or shaped easily without breaking.
Like soft dough you can press into any shape.
Warm wax is soft and plastic, so kids can shape it.
The clay stays plastic until it dries out.
Similarflexible, malleable, pliant, moldable, ductile
Oppositerigid, brittle, inflexible, stiff
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5
adjectivecolloquialfiguratively
Fake and insincere, in a shallow way that copies others to seem smooth and perfect.
Like a fake flower: it looks real but has no life in it.
Her smile felt plastic, like she didn't really mean it.
The town was full of plastic people who only cared about looks.
Similarfake, insincere
Oppositegenuine, sincere
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6
adjectivederogatoryfiguratively
Cheap and fake, not the real or good thing.
Like a cheap copy of a toy that breaks on the first day.
That band's new album sounds plastic and forgettable.
His apology was plastic and meant nothing.
Similarfake, artificial, phony, sham, ersatz
Oppositegenuine, authentic, real
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7
adjective
Describing how a solid bends into a new shape for good, instead of springing back or cracking.
Like bending a paperclip: it stays bent and doesn't snap back.
Bend the rod far enough and it shows plastic behavior, keeping the new shape for good.
Soft metals reach a plastic state where they bend but don't crack.
Oppositeelastic
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8
nounslangcountable
A single operation to reshape part of the body, such as a nose job or face-lift.
She booked a plastic to fix her nose before the wedding.
He saved up for a plastic on his chin.
Similarprocedure, operation, surgery
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9
nounslangfigurativelycountable or uncountable
Fakeness and insincerity, or a fake, vain person who thinks they are better than everyone else.
Like a mask someone wears so you never see the real person.
Everyone could see through his plastic and knew he was faking.
She's such a plastic, always acting better than her friends.
Similarphony, fake, poser
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10
adjective
Able to change in order to fit different surroundings or conditions.
Like a young tree that bends to grow toward the light.
Young brains are very plastic and pick up new languages quickly.
The plant's growth stays plastic, shifting with the light and water it gets.
Similaradaptable, flexible, malleable, adaptive
Oppositerigid, fixed, inflexible
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11
adjectivedated
Having the power to create or shape something new.
Like a potter whose hands turn lumps of clay into new pots.
The painter was praised for his bold, plastic imagination.
See plastic Nature working to this end.
1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man.Here, plastic means having the power to create and shape things.
Similarcreative, formative, generative
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12
nounarchaiccountable or uncountable
A solid material that is soft enough to be pressed into a shape.
Like soft clay that keeps any shape you press into it.
The sculptor worked the warm plastic into a smooth round form.
Heated until soft, the wax turned into a plastic he could mold by hand.
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13
adjectivearchaic
Helping the body to grow or make new tissue.
Like a glue that helps a cut close up with fresh skin.
The wound oozed a plastic fluid that hardened into new flesh.
Surgeons saw a plastic layer spreading over the healing cut.
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14
adjectivecolloquial
Describing a bird that escaped from a cage, not a truly wild one.
Like a pet that slipped out of its cage rather than an animal born free.
Most birders dismissed the bright flamingo as a plastic escapee from a nearby zoo.
That colorful finch is probably plastic, not a real wild visitor.
Oppositewild
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15
adjectivecolloquial
Describing a bird brought into an area by people, not naturally found there.
Like a plant someone carried from another country and planted in a new garden.
The pheasants in those fields are plastic, brought over by hunters long ago.
Birders noted the parakeet population was plastic rather than truly native.
Similarintroduced, feral, exotic
Oppositenative, indigenous
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16
nounslangcountable or uncountable
A name for someone who acts Irish but is not seen as truly Irish.
Like someone who wears a team's shirt but has never watched a single game.
Every plastic in the bar insisted on a distant Irish grandmother.
They called him a plastic when he got the simple Irish words wrong.
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17
nounobsoletecountable or uncountable
A person who shapes clay, wax, or stone into works of art.
Like a baker who shapes dough, but working with clay and stone instead.
The young plastic spent his days shaping small figures from soft clay.
A skilled plastic made the saint's likeness for the village church.
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Practice

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Origin

From Latin plasticus, from Greek plastikos, from a word meaning "to mold or form."