hydrophobic
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to hydrophobia
-
chem tending not to dissolve in, mix with, or be wetted by water Compare hydrophilic
a hydrophobic colloid
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hydrophobic
First recorded in 1640–50; hydrophobe + -ic
Vocabulary lists containing hydrophobic
Cell Biology - High School
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Biochemistry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"By contrast, small-molecule drugs that are designed to cross the blood-brain barrier are hydrophobic in nature, which limits their bioavailability, increases the risk of off-target binding, and is linked to side effects."
From Science Daily • Nov. 6, 2025
But in a counterintuitive twist, the very mechanism that enables hydrophobic surfaces to deflect water droplets also leads to the shearing effect outlined in Backholm's paper.
From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024
Backholm expects these findings will further enable physicists and engineers to develop hydrophobic surfaces with better performance.
From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024
This can be covalent bonds, hydrogen bridge bonds, van der Waals forces, and hydrophobic interactions.
From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2024
He detached himself from the tilting control panel and sailed wildly about like a hydrophobic goldfish in a bowl of water.
From Master of the Moondog by Mullen, Stanley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
