thermoplastic adj 1: having the property of softening or fusing when heated and of hardening and becoming rigid again when cooled; "thermoplastic materials can be remelted and cooled time after time without undergoing any appreciable chemical change" [ant: {thermoset}, {thermosetting}] n 1: a material that softens when heated and hardens again when cooled [syn: {thermoplastic}, {thermoplastic resin}]