absorptive
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhbzawrptivSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əbˈzɔɹptɪv
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up something (liquids or energy etc.)
Having power, capacity, or tendency to absorb or imbibe; absorbent.
noun
Any substance that absorbs.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up something (liquids or energy etc.)
'Absorptive' is quite a technical word, usually found in scientific or engineering contexts. It describes something's ability to take in or soak up, much like a sponge is 'absorbent.' 'Absorptive' emphasizes the capacity; 'absorbent' often describes the material itself.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Science Lab Report
“The new material proved to be highly absorptive of moisture.”
Technical Manual
“Its absorptive capacity makes it ideal for acoustic insulation.”
Medical Research
“Certain cells show an absorptive tendency for specific nutrients.”
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.