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View synonyms for absorbent

absorbent

[ ab-sawr-buhnt, -zawr- ]

adjective

  1. capable of absorbing heat, light, moisture, etc.; tending to absorb.


noun

  1. something that absorbs:

    Tons of high-powered absorbents were needed to clean up the oil spill.

absorbent

/ əbˈsɔːbənt; -ˈzɔː- /

adjective

  1. able to absorb
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a substance that absorbs
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • abˈsorbency, noun
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Other Words From

  • ab·sorben·cy noun
  • nonab·sorben·cy noun
  • nonab·sorbent adjective noun
  • preab·sorbent adjective noun
  • semi·ab·sorbent adjective
  • unab·sorbent adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of absorbent1

First recorded in 1710–20, absorbent is from the Latin word absorbent- (stem of absorbēns, present participle of absorbēre ). See absorb, -ent
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Example Sentences

Tucked within most of them were even shorter absorbent layers, which are meant to soak up menstrual flow.

From BBC

These chemicals can help make the material in tampons and pads more absorbent, but advocates argue they can be replaced by safer substances.

“The dressing’s bulked up a bit because you need a bit of absorbent. You don’t want to be walking around with bloody gauze on his ear,” Jackson said.

From Salon

These adhesives work by rapidly absorbing water from wet tissues, using polyacrylic acid, an absorbent material used in diapers.

The researchers painstakingly removed each drowned flea using tweezers, set them to dry on absorbent paper, and then transferred them to test tubes for laboratory identification and analyses.

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