hygroscopic

[ hahy-gruh-skop-ik ]

/ ˌhaɪ grəˈskɒp ɪk /

Save This Word!

adjective

absorbing or attracting moisture from the air.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of hygroscopic

First recorded in 1765–75; hygroscope + -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM hygroscopic

hy·gro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverbhy·gro·sco·pic·i·ty

[hahy-gruh-skoh-pis-i-tee], /ˌhaɪ grə skoʊˈpɪs ɪ ti/, nounnon·hy·gro·scop·ic, adjectivenon·hy·gro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby hygroscopic

hygrometric, hygrometry, hygrophilous, hygrophyte, hygroscope, hygroscopic, hygrostat, hygrothermograph, Hygroton, hying, Hyksos

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use hygroscopic in a sentence

This combination is hygroscopic, anodyne and antiseptic and is easily applied.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
It should be ignited and cooled out of contact with air just before using, since it is hygroscopic.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
The chaff and awns of all are hygroscopic; that is, are changed by differences caused by variation of moisture in the air.
Seed Dispersal|William J. Beal
In this device, a thin strip of hygroscopic material (as a piece of goose quill) is formed into a spiral coil.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower

Now, these styles are hygroscopic—that is, they are influenced by changes in the condition of the atmosphere as regards moisture.
Field and Woodland Plants|William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

/ (ˌhaɪɡrəˈskɒpɪk) /

adjective

(of a substance) tending to absorb water from the air

Derived forms of hygroscopic

hygroscopically, adverbhygroscopicity (ˌhaɪɡrəskəʊˈpɪsɪtɪ), noun

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

Medical definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

[ hī′grə-skŏp′ĭk ]

adj.

Readily absorbing moisture, as from the atmosphere.

Scientific definitions for hygroscopic

hygroscopic

[ hī′grə-skŏp′ĭk ]

Relating to a compound that easily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere.