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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Biochemistry
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
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
By analyzing the protonation/deprotonation of glycine molecules, the researchers observed a hydrophobic water/water interface close to the metal surface, leading to a destabilization of zwitterionic forms of glycine.
From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2024
The engineered protein, resembling a structure with five arms, exhibits a unique feature -- a hydrophobic pore within its coiled-coil configuration.
From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2024
The researchers employed methanol vapor to modify the secondary structure of silkworm silk proteins, resulting in a nanofiber membrane with a hydrophobic outer surface.
From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 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.
