inelastic
inelastic Lexical Profile
inelastic Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to an economic supply or demand that remains relatively unchanged despite significant fluctuations in price (in economics).
"Because insulin is a life-saving medication, consumer demand for it is highly inelastic."
Not able to stretch or resume its original shape easily after being deformed; rigid or unyielding.
"The old rubber band had become brittle and inelastic over time."
Designating a collision or scattering process in which total kinetic energy is not conserved, as some energy is converted into heat, sound, or internal deformation (in physics).
"Two lumps of clay sticking together upon impact provide a classic textbook example of a perfectly inelastic collision."
Not adaptable to changing circumstances or new ideas; resistant to modification.
"The organization's inelastic policies prevented managers from offering remote work options."
• Rhymes for inelastic
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 18th century by adding the negative prefix 'in-' to 'elastic', which comes via Modern Latin 'elasticus' from Ancient Greek 'elastos' (ductile, flexible), derived from 'elaunein' (to drive or beat out).