anti-plastic
|an-ti-plas-tic|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈplæs.tɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˈplæs.tɪk/
against plastic (materials)
Etymology
'anti-plastic' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against, opposed to') + 'plastic' (from Greek 'plastikos' meaning 'capable of being shaped', via Latin/French into English where it came to mean synthetic polymer materials).
'plastic' entered English via French/Latin from Greek 'plastikos' (meaning 'capable of being formed'); by the 19th century 'plastic' came to denote synthetic materials. The compound 'anti-plastic' emerged in modern English usage in the late 20th and early 21st centuries alongside environmental movements opposing synthetic-plastic waste.
Originally 'plastic' referred to something 'malleable' or 'shapable' (from Greek), but its modern primary sense is 'synthetic polymer material'; accordingly, 'anti-plastic' evolved to mean specifically 'against synthetic plastic materials' rather than 'against being shaped'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person, group, or campaign that opposes the use of plastics or advocates measures to limit plastic pollution.
She is a well-known anti-plastic who organizes beach clean-ups.
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Adjective 1
opposed to the use, production, or disposal of synthetic plastics; advocating reduction or elimination of plastic materials (often for environmental reasons).
The town adopted an anti-plastic policy to reduce single-use packaging.
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Last updated: 2025/11/14 18:42