plastic meaning
plastic :
made of plastic, flexible
adjective
▪ The plastic bottle is light.
▪ The bottle made of plastic is light.
▪ Plastic toys are common.
▪ Toys made of plastic are common.
paraphrasing
▪ synthetic – man-made
▪ flexible – can bend
▪ malleable – can be shaped
▪ pliable – easy to bend
plastic :
material, synthetic substance
noun
▪ Plastic is used for packaging.
▪ Plastic material is used for packaging.
▪ Many products are made of plastic.
▪ Many items are made from plastic material.
paraphrasing
▪ polymer – a type of plastic
▪ resin – a material like plastic
▪ acrylic – a kind of plastic
▪ vinyl – a plastic material
Pronunciation
plastic [ˈplæs.tɪk]
The stress is on 'plas' and sounds like 'plas-tik'.
Common phrases and grammar about plastic
plastic - Common meaning
adjective
made of plastic, flexible
noun
material, synthetic substance
Part of Speech Changes for "plastic"
▪ plasticity (noun) – ability to be shaped
▪ plastically (adverb) – in a flexible way
Common Expressions with "plastic"
▪ plastic bag – a bag made of plastic
▪ plastic bottle – a bottle made of plastic
▪ plastic surgery – medical operation to change appearance
▪ plastic wrap – thin plastic film for covering food
Important examples of plastic in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, plastic often refers to the material used for making items.
Example of a confusing word: elastic (flexible or stretchable material)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
As an adjective, plastic describes items made from this material in TOEIC grammar questions.
plastic
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
plastic waste
'unwanted plastic items', used when discussing environmental issues.
plastic fantastic
means 'something made of plastic that looks good but is not high quality'.
Differences between similar words and plastic
plastic
,
synthetic
differences
Plastic refers to a material that can be shaped, while synthetic means made by chemical synthesis.
plastic
,
polymer
differences
Plastic is a general term for many materials, while polymer is a specific type of plastic material.
Words with the same origin as plastic
The origin of plastic
plastic comes from the Greek 'plastikos', meaning 'fit for molding'. It originally referred to the ability to be shaped or molded.
Word structure
The parts are: 'plast' (mold) and 'ic' (related to), so plastic means 'related to molding'.
Words with the same origin
The root of plastic is plast (mold). Words with the same root include plaster (material for molding) and plasticity (ability to be molded).
