contractile

American  

[kuhn-trak-tl, -til] / kənˈtræk tl, -tɪl /

adjective

1. capable of contracting or causing contraction.

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contractile British  

/ ˌkɒntrækˈtɪlɪtɪ, kənˈtræktaɪl /

adjective

1. having the power to contract or to cause contraction

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Other Word Forms

• contractility noun
• uncontractile adjective

Etymology

Origin of contractile

First recorded in 1700–10; contract + -ile

Example Sentences

Their earlier work had shown that small contractile cells called pericytes tighten coronary capillaries during the early stages of ischemia, a condition that occurs when the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen-rich blood.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

The research team found that some of the proteins in the muscle cells act as a temperature sensor, and that heating affects skeletal and cardiac contractile systems differently.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

In a paper published today in Nature, researchers report refashioning Photorhabdus’s syringe—called a contractile injection system—so that it can attach to human cells and inject large proteins into them.

From Scientific American • Mar. 29, 2023

These animals possess a ring of muscles lining the dome of the body, which provides the contractile force required to swim through water.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

This structure is highly contractile, but cannot close together.

From Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa by Annandale, Nelson