Ductile

adjective

/ˈdʌktaɪl/

Capable of being drawn out into thin wire by mechanical force without breaking — a property exhibited by metals such as gold, silver, and copper.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

A resilient democracy must remain ductile rather than brittle, bending to accommodate dissent and reform without fracturing its constitutional core under the pressures of social change.

Synonyms

malleablepliablepliantflexibletractableplastic

Antonyms

brittlerigidinflexibleintractable

🌱 Word Family

ductility (n), ductilely (adv), ductileness (n), duct (n), deduct (v)

🔡 Root

Latin ductilis = that may be led or drawn; ductus (past participle of dūcere) = to lead, draw

📜 Etymology

From Latin ductilis (that may be led or drawn), from ductus, past participle of dūcere (to lead or draw); first recorded in English in the 14th century.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think of a "duct" — a flexible pipe that can be drawn and bent into shape; like Latin ducere ('to lead/draw'), a ductile metal is led out into wire. A leader who can be led is "ductile".

⚗️ General Science 📖 Seen in: Metals, Non-Metals & Alloys

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