ductile

American  

[duhk-tl, -til] / ˈdʌk tl, -tɪl /

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.

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ductile British  

/ 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

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ductile Scientific  

/ 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 malleable

3. Relating to rock or other materials that are capable of withstanding a certain amount of force by changing form before fracturing or breaking.

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Other Word Forms

• ductilely adverb
• ductileness noun
• ductility noun
• nonductile adjective
• semiductile adjective
• unductile adjective

Etymology

Origin of ductile

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

Explanation

If you can bend or shape a substance, especially if it's made of metal, it is ductile. If they can stretch a metal into a thin wire, scientists consider it to be ductile. If you agree with what everyone else does or says, you too might be ductile, or easily manipulated. Some more commonly used synonyms for ductile are malleable, for both senses of the word, and pliable or flexible, for the literal sense. The word shares the same root as the word duke. If you are a duke, you probably hope your people are ductile, or easy to lead.

Example Sentences

He said Dow is looking to “move to more ductile, durable products that even when subjected to extreme stressors, if it does break up, it doesn’t break up into small particles.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

"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 • Oct. 19, 2023

"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 • Jul. 6, 2023

She and Bardem are both miscast, but Kidman is a particularly off fit for Ball, whose physical dexterity and ductile physiognomy, her rubber-band mouth and astonished eyes, are imprinted in our collective brain.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2021

The figure was labelled 'Tom Clark, as he was;' that is to say, soft, ductile, capable of being moulded into the Ruffian or the Man.

From Tom Clark and His Wife Their Double Dreams, And the Curious Things that Befell Them Therein; Being the Rosicrucian's Story by Randolph, Paschal Beverly