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.
Such fabrics are hydrophobic, or water hating, similar to grease and oils.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Desert beetles and lizards, for example, have evolved to develop surface structures that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas and effectively capture moisture from the air.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
Water is attracted to the hydrophilic areas and droplets are accumulated and transported through the hydrophobic areas.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
In this study, the researchers synthesized PSPBs with different molecular weights and added varying amounts of hydrophobic monomers individually and with different alkyl chains through a process known as reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024
Sarcotius, in his history of the epidemic diseases of Naples, informs us that the fever was invariably attended with hydrophobic symptoms.
From Curiosities of Medical Experience by Millingen, J. G. (John Gideon)
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.
