inextensibility
Definition
Inextensibility (noun)
- Quality of being incapable of extension: The property of something that cannot be stretched, expanded, lengthened, or prolonged.
- Incapability of being extended: The state or condition of not being able to be made longer, wider, or more extensive.
Usage Examples
- (The cable cannot be stretched or lengthened.)
- (The mind cannot be extended in space.)
- (The contract cannot be prolonged or expanded.)
Advanced Usage
- "physical inextensibility": A term used in physics or materials science to describe a material that does not deform under tension.
- The rope's physical inextensibility ensured it held the load without stretching. (The rope did not lengthen under stress.)
- "metaphysical inextensibility": In philosophy, the idea that non-material entities (like thoughts or souls) have no spatial extension.
- Cartesian dualism posits the inextensibility of the thinking substance. (The mind has no physical dimensions.)
Variants and Related Words
- Inextensible (adjective): not capable of being extended.
- The inextensible fabric tore under pressure. (The fabric could not stretch.)
- Extensibility (noun): the ability to be extended (opposite of inextensibility).
- The extensibility of the rubber band allowed it to fit around the box. (The rubber band could stretch.)
Synonyms
- Inelasticity: the inability to stretch or deform.
- Rigidity: the quality of being stiff and unyielding.
- Inflexibility: the lack of ability to bend or change shape.
Antonyms
- Extensibility: the capacity to be stretched or expanded.
- Elasticity: the ability to return to original shape after deformation.
- Flexibility: the quality of being able to bend easily.
Related Idioms
- "At full stretch": used to describe something that cannot be extended further.
- The budget is at full stretch, demonstrating its inextensibility. (The budget cannot be expanded.)