solubility

American  

[sol-yuh-bil-i-tee] / ˌsɒl yəˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality or property of being soluble; relative capability of being dissolved.

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solubility British  

/ ˌsɒljʊˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the ability of a substance to dissolve; the quality of being soluble

2. a measure of this ability for a particular substance in a particular solvent, equal to the quantity of substance dissolving in a fixed quantity of solvent to form a saturated solution under specified temperature and pressure. It is expressed in grams per cubic decametre, grams per hundred grams of solvent, moles per mole, etc

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Other Word Forms

• intersolubility noun

Etymology

Origin of solubility

First recorded in 1670–80; soluble + -ity

Explanation

Use the noun solubility to refer to how easily something dissolves in water or another liquid. Salt has high solubility, easily dissolving in water, while oil has low solubility in water, and sand is not at all soluble in water. Solubility is also a synonym for solvability, or how easy or difficult a particular problem is to solve. The solubility of your math homework is pretty much a sure thing. The solubility of some of the planet's more thorny issues — racism, climate change, violence — is less certain.

Example Sentences

In our testing, we’ve found it capable of wide-ranging conversations about classical architecture, campground amenities, the solubility of selenium—you know, typical Friday night banter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

The Schilling lab generated detailed proteome-wide solubility maps from both the test tube and mouse experiments.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

"In terms of potency, it will be hard to improve the molecule any further, but there are many other properties to consider and optimize, for example, pharmacokinetics, metabolism and aqueous solubility," says Kitamura.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

The scientists hypothesize that this structure may function like a gas chromatograph—a sophisticated chemical device that separates different compounds based on their solubility.

From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2023

Extraction, in chemical technology, is a process for separating one substance from another by taking advantage of the varying solubility of the components in some chosen solvent.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various