Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for retractile. Search instead for Irretractile.
Synonyms

retractile

American  
[ri-trak-til] / rɪˈtræk tɪl /

adjective

Zoology.

  1. capable of being drawn back or in, as the head of a tortoise; exhibiting the power of retraction.

retractile British  
/ rɪˈtræktaɪl, ˌriːtrækˈtɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. capable of being drawn in

    the retractile claws of a cat
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonretractile adjective
  • nonretractility noun
  • retractility noun
  • subretractile adjective

Etymology

Origin of retractile

First recorded in 1770–80; retract 1 + -ile

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.