unsaturated

[ uhn-sach-uh-rey-tid ]

/ ʌnˈsætʃ əˌreɪ tɪd /

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adjective

not saturated; having the power to dissolve still more of a substance.

Chemistry. (of an organic compound) having a double or triple bond and capable of taking on elements or groups by direct chemical combination without the liberation of other elements or compounds, as ethylene, CH2=CH2; undersaturated.

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Origin of unsaturated

First recorded in 1750–60; un-¹ + saturated

OTHER WORDS FROM unsaturated

un·sat·u·rate

[uhn-sach-er-it, -uh-reyt], /ʌnˈsætʃ ər ɪt, -əˌreɪt/, nounun·sat·u·ra·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unsaturated in a sentence

It is, therefore, a hydrocarbon of a very high degree of unsaturation.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for unsaturated

unsaturated

/ (ʌnˈsætʃəˌreɪtɪd) /

adjective

not saturated

(of a chemical compound, esp an organic compound) containing one or more double or triple bonds and thus capable of undergoing addition reactions

(of a fat, esp a vegetable fat) containing a high proportion of fatty acids having double bonds

(of a solution) containing less solute than a saturated solution

Derived forms of unsaturated

unsaturation, 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

Scientific definitions for unsaturated

unsaturated

[ ŭn-săch′ə-rā′tĭd ]

Relating to an organic compound in which two or more of the carbon atoms are joined by a double or triple bond and therefore can be combined with additional atoms or radicals. Benzene and acetylene are examples of unsaturated compounds. Compare saturated See also monounsaturated polyunsaturated.

Relating to a solution that is capable of dissolving more solute than it already contains.