inelastic.

1. Not readily returning to an earlier shape after deformation.

2. Changing relatively little in response to a change in another variable, especially price in economics.

3. Describing a collision in which total kinetic energy is not conserved.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• inelastic material
• inelastic deformation

On the page

The inelastic band retained the shape imposed by the clamp.

Tests showed inelastic deformation along the damaged edge.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Comparative more inelastic; superlative most inelastic where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.