What does "plastic" mean?
A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.
Plastic
/ˈplæstɪk/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.
- Grammar: plastic is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: able to adapt, acaroid resins, accessible, accordant.
- Useful contrasts: painterly, ceramic clay, ceramic dish.
- Usage evidence: I knew it was plastic but it tasted like wood.
How to use "plastic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plastic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plastic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plastic" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plastic" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plastic" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "able to adapt" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plastic", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting. countable, uncountable
"Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field. Dr Mincer and Dr Amaral-Zettler found evidence of them on their marine plastic, too."
- 2 a card (usually plastic) that assures a seller that the person using it has sufficient means of payment and that the issuer will see to it that the seller receives payment for the merchandise delivered wordnet
- 3 Credit or debit cards used in place of cash to buy goods and services. colloquial, countable, metonymically, uncountable
"I knew the war between cash and credit cards was over and plastic had won, hands down, when even Mickey D's started taking credit and debit cards."
- 4 generic name for certain synthetic or semisynthetic materials that can be molded or extruded into objects or films or filaments or used for making e.g. coatings and adhesives wordnet
- 5 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. countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable
"Cady: You know I couldn't invite you. I had to pretend to be plastic. Janis: Hey, buddy, you're not pretending anymore. You're plastic. Cold, shiny, hard plastic."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 An instance of plastic surgery. countable, slang
"Somebody's had a plastic done on his nose, I think, or else somebody bent it out of shape since I last saw it."
- 7 A sculptor, moulder. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 8 Any solid but malleable substance. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 9 Synonym of Plastic Paddy. countable, slang, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Capable of being moulded; malleable, flexible, pliant.
"the rage […] betook itself at last to certain missile weapons; which, though from their plastic nature they threatened neither the loss of life or of limb, were, however, sufficiently dreadful to a well-dressed lady."
- 2 Producing tissue. archaic
- 3 Creative, formative. dated
"Benign Creator! let thy plastic hand dispose its own effect"
- 4 Capable of adapting to varying conditions; characterized by environmental adaptability.
- 5 Of or pertaining to the inelastic, non-brittle, deformation of a material.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Made of plastic.
"A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe."
- 7 Inferior or not the real thing. derogatory, figuratively
"The Hippie has been replaced by the pseudo-Hippie, the plastic Hippie, the weekend Hippie"
- 8 Fake, insincere, especially in a shallow and conformist way pretending to smoothness and glossy flawlessness. figuratively, informal
"He kissed the white woman once, and it was so artificial, so plastic (that's the word, plastic) that one wondered why did they bother at all."
- 9 Escaped from captivity, rather than wild. informal
"A superb — and apparently wild, not plastic — Baikal Teal was located at RSPB Greylake in Somerset[.]"
- 10 Introduced, rather than native or naturally vagrant. informal
"I was checking into my motel while a Red-whiskered Bulbul called outside – a Queensland plastic rarity which was somewhat amusing."
Adjective
- 1 forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning wordnet
- 2 capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material) wordnet
- 3 capable of being influenced or formed wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I knew it was plastic but it tasted like wood."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plastic"?
Common synonyms include: able to adapt, acaroid resins, accessible, accordant, acetate, acetate nitrate.
How do you use "plastic" in a sentence?
I knew it was plastic but it tasted like wood.
How do you pronounce "plastic"?
Pronounced /ˈplæstɪk/.
Etymology
From Latin plasticus (“of molding”), from Ancient Greek πλαστικός (plastikós), from πλάσσω (plássō, “to mold, form”). Doublet of plastique.