freshwater

American  

[fresh-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈfrɛʃˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

Or fresh-water

adjective

1. of or living in water that is fresh or not salt.

   freshwater fish.

2. accustomed to fresh water only, and not to the sea.

   a freshwater sailor.

3. small, provincial, or little known.

   a freshwater college.

4. Obsolete. untrained or of little experience.

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freshwater British  

/ ˈfrɛʃˌwɔːtə /

noun

1. of, relating to, or living in fresh water

2. (esp of a sailor who has not sailed on the sea) unskilled or inexperienced

3. small and little known

   a freshwater school

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freshwater Scientific  

/ frĕsh′wô′tər /

1. Consisting of or living in water that is not salty.

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Etymology

Origin of freshwater

First recorded in 1520–30; fresh + water

Explanation

The adjective freshwater describes an aquatic environment with very little salt, like a stream or a pond, or an animal that lives there. Water bodies that started as precipitation are freshwater, whether the water came from rain, snowfall, or melting glaciers. A freshwater lake, unlike a salt lake, sea, or ocean, has a low concentration of salts and other minerals. Freshwater bodies make up less than three percent of the earth's water. Freshwater fish and amphibians are the ones that are adapted to live in ponds, lakes, and streams, in contrast to those that thrive in salty water.

Example Sentences

Compared with other projects to increase California’s supply of freshwater, dredging is a bargain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

If successful, Southern Water says the floating wetland technology could be deployed widely across the UK in both marine and freshwater environments.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Another major UN assessment, published on Tuesday as the summit opened, warned that migratory freshwater fish populations crucial to river health and sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people are in freefall and risk collapse.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Animals living in freshwater ecosystems are declining faster than those on land or in the oceans, yet the collapse of migratory freshwater fish has received relatively little global attention.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

Big clams, prawns, crab, all kinds of fish, salty and freshwater, the best—otherwise why would so many foreigners come to this port?

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan