succulent

American  

[suhk-yuh-luhnt] / ˈsʌk yə lənt /

adjective

1. full of juice; juicy.

2. rich in desirable qualities.

3. affording mental nourishment.

4. (of a plant) having fleshy and juicy tissues.

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noun

1. a succulent plant, as a sedum or cactus.

succulent British  

/ ˈsʌkjʊlənt /

adjective

1. abundant in juices; juicy

2. (of plants) having thick fleshy leaves or stems

3. informal stimulating interest, desire, etc

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noun

1. a plant that is able to exist in arid or salty conditions by using water stored in its fleshy tissues

succulent Scientific  

/ sŭk′yə-lənt /

1. Any of various plants having fleshy leaves or stems that store water. Cacti and the jade plant are succulents. Succulents are usually adapted to drier environments and display other characteristics that reduce water loss, such as waxy coatings on leaves and stems, fewer stomata than occur on other plants, and stout, rounded stems that minimize surface area.

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Other Word Forms

• succulence
  noun
• succulency
  noun
• succulently
  adverb
• unsucculent
  adjective
• unsucculently
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of succulent

1595–1605; < Late Latin sūculentus, equivalent to Latin sūc ( us ), succus juice + -ulentus -ulent

Explanation

Succulent means "juicy" and is often used to describe food. Think a succulent piece of meat, or berries so succulent you’re left sucking juice off your fingertips when you eat them. You can think of the word suck as hiding inside succulent––an orange you could pierce with a straw and suck the juice out of is succulent indeed. Or remember Desert Survival 101––find a cactus, an aloe, or another of the water-retaining plants known as succulents and drink from them.

Example Sentences

Stewing a piece of meat until it transforms from leather into something tender and succulent.

From Salon • Dec. 28, 2025

Marked by notes of spice and cherry, the deep red wine is soft, succulent and eminently drinkable—a wine for a special occasion or a Tuesday night with friends.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Jeff Koons stood atop a construction lift and planted a small, silvery gray dudleya succulent on the nose of his monumental topiary sculpture “Split-Rocker” at Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

Many of the world's succulent species are only found in the Succulent Karoo desert, which spans South Africa and Namibia.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

She piled our plates with succulent fatty ribs and steaming collard greens and passed around a basket with neatly cut squares of corn bread, which we slathered with butter.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• luscious
• moist
• tasty
• yummy