plastic

noun

A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.

(colloquial, metonymic) Credit or debit cards used in place of cash to buy goods and services.

(figurative, slang) Insincerity; fakeness; a person who is fake or arrogant, or believes that they are better than the rest of the population; a narcissistic, affected person.

(slang, countable) An instance of plastic surgery.

(slang) Synonym of Plastic Paddy.

(obsolete) A sculptor, moulder.

(archaic) Any solid but malleable substance.

adjective

Made of plastic.

Capable of being moulded; malleable, flexible, pliant.

(figurative, informal, of a person) Fake, insincere, especially in a shallow and conformist way pretending to smoothness and glossy flawlessness.

(figurative, derogatory) Inferior or not the real thing.

(biology) Capable of adapting to varying conditions; characterized by environmental adaptability.

Of or pertaining to the inelastic, non-brittle, deformation of a material.

(informal, birdwatching, of an individual bird) Escaped from captivity, rather than wild.

(informal, birdwatching, of a species or individual bird) Introduced, rather than native or naturally vagrant.

(dated) Creative, formative.

(medicine, now rare) Producing tissue.

Roots

plastikosplast- · Greek · moldable, formable

Synonyms for plastic

moldableadj thermoplasticadj styrofoamn resinoidn polystyrenen polypropylenen perspexn fictileadj cellophanen pliantadj nylonn acrylicn resinn

Synonyms & related words for plastic

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of plastic — including moldable, thermoplastic, styrofoam, resinoid, polystyrene, polypropylene. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to plastic

Explore words related to plastic — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include saran, polyethylene, polythene, plasticize, plastique, polycarbonate, thermosetting, plastically. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for plastic

Common synonyms for plastic include moldable, thermoplastic, styrofoam, resinoid, polystyrene, polypropylene, perspex, fictile — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does plastic come from?

The word plastic breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root plast-, from Greek plastikos (“moldable, formable”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.