ductile

/'dʌktail/

Definition

Adjective:
- Capable of being shaped or bent: Describes a material, especially a metal, that can undergo significant plastic deformation without breaking, allowing it to be stretched into wire or hammered into thin sheets.
- Easily influenced or led: Describes a person or their character as being easily persuaded, manageable, or tractable.

Usage and Examples

Describing a physical property (of a material):
- Copper is a highly ductile metal, making it ideal for electrical wiring.
- The ductile nature of gold allows artisans to craft intricate jewelry.
Describing a personal characteristic (of a person):
- He was too ductile in his youth, easily swayed by stronger personalities.
- A good teacher can be firm without expecting students to be merely ductile.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

In materials science and engineering, ductile is a precise technical term contrasted with "brittle." A ductile material will deform before it fractures.
- The bridge was designed with ductile steel components to absorb seismic energy.
When describing people, the term can carry a neutral or slightly negative connotation, implying a lack of firmness or resolve.
- Her ductile disposition made her popular but also vulnerable to manipulation.

Variants and Related Words

Ductility (n): The physical property of being ductile.
- The ductility of the alloy was tested under extreme pressure.
Ductileness (n): A less common synonym for ductility.

Synonyms

Malleable: Capable of being shaped by hammering or pressure. (Often used interchangeably with for metals, though specifically implies shaping by hammering, while implies drawing out into wire.)
Pliable: Easily bent, flexible; also easily influenced.
Tractable: Easily managed or controlled.
Pliant: Flexible, bending readily; yielding readily to influence.

Antonyms

Adjective

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