ductile

[ duhk-tl, -til ]

adjective

1. capable of being hammered out thin, as certain metals; malleable.
2. capable of being drawn out into wire or threads, as gold.
3. able to undergo change of form without breaking.
4. capable of being molded or shaped; plastic.

ductile

/ dʌkˈtɪlɪtɪ; ˈdʌktaɪl /

adjective

1. (of a metal, such as gold or copper) able to be drawn out into wire
2. able to be moulded; pliant; plastic
3. easily led or influenced; tractable

ductile

/ dŭk′təl /

1. Easily stretched without breaking or lowering in material strength. Gold is relatively ductile at room temperature, and most metals become more ductile with increasing temperature.
2. Compare brittle
3. Relating to rock or other materials that are capable of withstanding a certain amount of force by changing form before fracturing or breaking.

Derived Forms

• ductility, noun
• ˈductilely, adverb

Other Words From

• duc·tile·ly adverb
• duc·til·i·ty [duhk-, til, -i-tee], duc·tile·ness noun
• non·duc·tile adjective
• sem·i·duc·tile adjective
• un·duc·tile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ductile¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin ductilis, equivalent to duct(us) (past participle of dūcere “to draw along”) + -ilis adjective suffix ( -ile )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ductile¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin ductilis, from dūcere to lead

Example Sentences

"Those extra electrons are important because they effectively make the ceramic material more ductile, meaning it can undergo more deformation before breaking, similar to a metal," said Vecchio.

From Science Daily

"This achievement represents a significant step towards designing and manufacturing innovative energy devices and deformable electronics. The underlying mechanism, uncovered by a TEM at the atomic level provides important implications for seeking other intrinsic ductile semiconductors," he added.

From Science Daily

"Due to copper’s highly conductive and ductile nature, it is an ideal candidate for transformation and transmission of electrical energy in EVs," the bank said in a note dated Wednesday.

From Reuters

As Senta, the woman who returns the apparitional captain’s obsessive attention, Elza van den Heever sang with a ductile soprano.

From New York Times

The flaw was so egregious that officials quickly banned construction of the non-ductile concrete design after the Sylmar quake and updated minimum building requirements to ensure that future concrete-frame structures erected in the 1980s and beyond would be ductile — or flexible — when shaken.

From Los Angeles Times