plastic
plastic — noun
1. a light, man-made material made by chemical processes from oil, used to make a h
a light, man-made material made by chemical processes from oil, used to make a huge range of everyday objects such as bottles, bags, toys, and chairs.
Maya bought a water bottle made of clear, hard plastic for her morning runs.
uncountable use for the material itself
The toy boat was made of cheap, brittle plastic that snapped in Carlos's hand.
common collocation: made of plastic
Every summer, fishermen in Kenting pull tons of plastic from their nets along with the fish.
Aunt Mei keeps her rice in a tall container made from a hard, clear plastic that never cracks.
Lina's school is trying to use less plastic at lunch by giving every child a metal cup.
用法筆記
Often uncountable when talking about the bulk material (a lot of plastic), but countable when referring to a particular type or piece (a hard plastic / two different plastics).
常見錯誤
2. the business or area of industry that makes plastic, especially as a field of st
the business or area of industry that makes plastic, especially as a field of study or work.
After graduating, Marcus took a job in plastics at a large factory in Hsinchu.
often plural form 'plastics' for the industry
Lina's uncle has worked in plastic for over thirty years and knows every machine on the factory floor.
work in plastic / plastics
The town of Yunlin depends heavily on plastics, with three big factories sitting beside the river.
Sarah is studying plastics engineering because she wants to design safer food packaging.
- plastics industry
the full, more explicit phrase, often preferred in formal writing
用法筆記
Frequently appears as the plural form 'plastics' when referring to the industry or as a field of study (plastics engineering, plastics manufacturing); the singular 'plastic' for the industry is rarer and more informal.
常見錯誤
3. a casual word for credit cards and debit cards, used when talking about paying w
a casual word for credit cards and debit cards, used when talking about paying without cash or a cheque.
Marcus paid for the whole dinner with plastic because no one at the table had cash.
pay with plastic
The little market near Lina's house only takes cash, no plastic.
negative context: no plastic accepted
At the night market, Lina's friends now tap plastic on their phones instead of digging out paper bills.
Sarah's father warned her not to live on plastic during her first year at university.
- credit card
the precise, neutral term for one specific card
- card
shorter and equally informal, but refers to one card or to the method
- cash
physical money in coins and notes, the usual contrast
用法筆記
Informal and almost always uncountable; most natural in casual speech and writing about everyday spending. In formal contexts, prefer 'credit cards' or 'card payments'.
常見錯誤
plastic — adjective
1. having plastic as its main material; made out of plastic rather than wood, metal
having plastic as its main material; made out of plastic rather than wood, metal, glass, or another substance.
Lina drank her juice through a plastic straw, then put it in the recycling bin.
common noun pairing: plastic straw / bag / bottle
The children built a tall tower from colourful plastic bricks on the kitchen floor.
plastic + countable noun
Marcus packed his sandwich in a plastic box so it would not get crushed in his bag.
The cheap plastic chair cracked under Uncle Wei the moment he sat down.
The café near Sarah's office now serves iced coffee in paper cups instead of plastic ones.
用法筆記
Almost always used directly before a noun (a plastic spoon), not after a linking verb. To say what something is made of after 'be', use 'made of plastic' rather than 'is plastic'.
常見錯誤
2. looking or feeling fake, shallow, or mass-produced — for example a smile that se
looking or feeling fake, shallow, or mass-produced — for example a smile that seems forced, or a person who hides their real feelings behind a polished image.
The TV host wore a wide, plastic smile that never quite reached her eyes.
classic collocation: plastic smile
Sarah found the new café too plastic, with fake flowers on every table.
predicative use after a linking verb
Driving home from the concert, Marcus complained that the band's new album sounds plastic and over-produced.
The actors in Lina's favourite soap opera all spoke in plastic voices no real person would ever use.
- fake
more general; 'plastic' specifically suggests a polished, mass-produced kind of fakeness
- artificial
more neutral and formal; 'plastic' is sharper and judgemental
- phony
informal American synonym, often used of people who hide their real feelings
用法筆記
Always carries a negative judgement: the speaker thinks something is hollow, fake, or lacking warmth. Often paired with words like smile, voice, charm, or personality.
常見錯誤
3. (of a substance such as clay, wax, or warm metal) able to be pressed or shaped i
(of a substance such as clay, wax, or warm metal) able to be pressed or shaped into a new form and then keep that form.
Wet clay is highly plastic, so Lina could press it into any shape with her fingers.
predicative use; typical subjects are clay, wax, dough
Once Mr Chen heated the candle wax in a pan, it turned soft and plastic in his hands.
becomes plastic; pairs with 'mould' or 'shape'
The artist chose a plastic clay that holds fine details after the kiln dries it.
Dr Tanaka explained that hot metal becomes plastic long before it actually melts.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (made of plastic) and sense 2 (fake): this technical sense describes how a material behaves under pressure or heat. Most common in art, craft, geology, and materials science.
常見錯誤
plastic — adjective combining form
1. used at the end of scientific words to mean 'developing' or 'forming new tissue'
used at the end of scientific words to mean 'developing' or 'forming new tissue', as in 'neoplastic' (forming new growth) or 'hyperplastic' (growing in number too fast).
Dr Tanaka explained that the word 'neoplastic' describes cells that keep forming new tissue.
ending -plastic = forming / developing
In her biology notebook, Sarah wrote that 'hyperplastic' means a tissue is growing too quickly.
appears at end of medical adjectives
Professor Lin warned her medical students that any word ending in '-plastic' in pathology refers to tissue growth.
Marcus learnt that 'aplastic anemia' is a disease where the body stops forming enough new blood cells.
用法筆記
This is a word-ending, never a stand-alone adjective. It only appears stuck onto a Greek-based stem (neo-, hyper-, a-, dys-) and is almost entirely confined to medical and biological writing.
2. used at the end of scientific words to make an adjective that matches a related
used at the end of scientific words to make an adjective that matches a related noun finishing in any of these forms: -plast, -plasm, -plasy, or -plasty — for example 'protoplasmic' (from 'protoplasm') or 'rhinoplastic' (from 'rhinoplasty').
The biology teacher noted that 'protoplasmic' is the adjective form of 'protoplasm', the living matter inside a cell.
links the adjective to a noun in -plasm
Dr Tanaka used the term 'rhinoplastic surgery' when explaining nose-shape operations to her patient.
links to a noun in -plasty (rhinoplasty)
Sarah noticed that 'chloroplastic' on her exam paper simply means 'related to a chloroplast'.
Dr Tanaka recommended an autoplastic graft, using skin from the patient's own thigh to repair the burn.
用法筆記
Distinguish from the related ending in sense 1: this one simply turns a -plasm / -plast / -plasty noun into an adjective, while sense 1 carries the active meaning 'developing' or 'forming'.