compressible

/kəm'presəbl/

Thân thiện

A worker uses compressible foam to protect a fragile vase in a shipping box.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Capable of being easily compressed: Describes a material or substance that can be reduced in volume or made more compact when pressure is applied.
   • Capable of being compressed or made more compact: A more general property indicating that an object's size or volume can be decreased under force.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Foam is a highly compressible material used in packaging.
  • The gas is compressible, allowing it to be stored in high-pressure tanks.
  • A compressible sponge returns to its original shape after the pressure is released.

Advanced Usage

• In physics/engineering: Refers to fluids (like gases) where density changes significantly with pressure, as opposed to incompressible fluids (like liquids).
  • Aerodynamics studies the flow of compressible air at high speeds.
• In materials science: Describes the bulk modulus or mechanical property of a substance.
  • The compressible nature of the soil affects foundation design.

Variants and Related Words

• Compressibility (n): The measure of how much a substance can be compressed.
  • Scientists measured the compressibility of the new polymer.
• Incompressible (adj): The opposite property; not able to be compressed.
  • Water is often treated as an incompressible fluid in basic calculations.

Synonyms

• Squeezable: Capable of being squeezed or compressed.
• Compactable: Able to be made more compact or dense.

Antonyms

• Incompressible: Not capable of being compressed.
• Solid / Rigid: Firm and resistant to changes in shape or volume.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. capable of being easily compressed
2. capable of being compressed or made more compact
   • compressible packing materials
   • a compressible box

Từ đồng nghĩa

• squeezable