💪 Can get smaller 🔵 Can shrink fully 🤒 Able to catch

contractible

7.0

Can get smaller when it tightens or gets cold

adjective
/kənˈtræktəbl/

: reducible

The balloon is not contractible once it has been inflated to its maximum size.

Examples

Some materials are contractible when exposed to cold temperatures.
The heart is made of contractible muscle tissue that pumps blood throughout the body.
This material is contractible when exposed to heat.
The contractible design allows for easy storage.
The fabric is contractible, allowing it to fit a variety of shapes and sizes.
His muscles were contractible after a good workout, making them more flexible.
The design features a contractible feature that allows the tent to shrink down for easy storage.

Synonyms

resizable

vscontractible

Specialized

1 3.5

Can be made larger or smaller to fit what you need

is specifically about being made smaller by shortening, not general size change

contractile

vscontractible

Specialized

7.4

Able to get smaller by tightening, like muscle tissue

is the possibility of being made smaller when something causes it to shorten

shrinkable

vscontractible

4.1

Able to become smaller when washed or heated

is not limited to heat or washing and can reduce by other shortening processes

Antonyms

expandable

7 4.2

Something that can become larger or hold more

How Contractible

contractible

7.0

collapsible

7 4.0

compressible

Specialized

1 6.2

inelastic

Specialized

2 6.6

Surface Forms

contractible positive

Morphology

contractible = contract (transparent) = contract + ible

Standard adjective formed from the verb 'contract' (to become smaller) with '-ible' meaning 'able to be', so the meaning 'able to be made smaller' is directly inferable.

Etymology

Contractible comes from the Latin root contrahere, made of con- 'together' and trahere 'to pull', the same root you see in contract. So if something is contractible it can be 'pulled together' and become smaller, which is why we use the word for things that can shrink.