saturation

American  

[sach-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˌsætʃ əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of saturating.

2. the state of being saturated.

3. Meteorology. a condition in the atmosphere corresponding to 100 percent relative humidity.

4. the degree of chroma or purity of a color; the degree of freedom from admixture with white.

5. Magnetism. the state of maximum magnetization of a ferromagnetic material.

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saturation British  

/ ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of saturating or the state of being saturated

2. chem the state of a chemical compound, solution, or vapour when it is saturated

3. meteorol the state of the atmosphere when it can hold no more water vapour at its particular temperature and pressure, the relative humidity then being 100 per cent

4. the attribute of a colour that enables an observer to judge its proportion of pure chromatic colour See also colour

5. physics the state of a ferromagnetic material in which it is fully magnetized. The magnetic domains are then all fully aligned

6. electronics the state of a valve or semiconductor device that is carrying the maximum current of which it is capable and is therefore unresponsive to further increases of input signal

7. the level beyond which demand for a product or service is not expected to increase

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1. denoting the maximum possible intensity of coverage of an area

   saturation bombing

   a saturation release of a film

saturation Scientific  

/ săch′ə-rā′shən /

1. The state of a physical system, such as a solution, containing as much of another substance, such as a solute, as is possible at a given temperature or pressure.

2. The vividness of a color's hue. Saturation measures the degree to which a color differs from a gray of the same darkness or lightness.

3. Compare hue value

4. The state of being a saturated organic compound.

5. See more at saturated

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Other Word Forms

• desaturation
  noun
• nonsaturation
  noun
• oversaturation
  noun
• subsaturation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of saturation

1545–55; < Late Latin saturātiōn- (stem of saturātiō ) a filling, equivalent to saturāt ( us ) ( see saturate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Saturation means holding as much moisture as possible. When you water your houseplants, you may soak them until the soil around each plant reaches saturation. The noun saturation means the act of completely soaking something until it's absorbed as much water as it can. Imagine a sponge that can't get any more wet, and you'll have an idea of what saturation means. When you're talking about art, saturation means the amount of bright, undiluted color in a painting or photograph, usually colors that are quite intense and unshaded. The Latin root saturatus means "to fill, sate, or drench."

Example Sentences

There is some way to travel to get to that saturation point.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Her writing, like her persona, thrives on noticing the oddly specific ways cultural saturation shows up.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

The 70-year-old had "high fever, a drop in oxygen saturation, sweating and chills," according to a statement from DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Building on that idea in the 1920s, Schrödinger described hue, saturation and lightness using a mathematical measurement system within this curved framework.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

Where could Western music go once - as it seemed at the end of the nineteenth century - all possibilities of the existing system of twelve notes and key-families had reached saturation point?

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• congestion
• overload