Desaturate
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To cause to become less saturated or unsaturated. transitive
"With this in mind, Desai has called for imposing more stringent regulations on the ride-hailing sector, to create a more level playing field and, presumably, to desaturate the pool of drivers."
- 2 To cause to become less saturated or unsaturated.; To lessen the saturation of (a colour). transitive
"And similarly, they are full of tricks: when the imagined stranger calls your name, the music crescendos romantically; when the video freezes on your laugh, it immediately desaturates the candid photo, making you look old-timey or famous or dead."
- 3 To cause to become less saturated or unsaturated.; To convert (a saturated compound) to an unsaturated one. transitive
"Mammals, for example, lack the ability to desaturate fatty acids in the n-6 or n-3 position. […] Only plants can desaturate fatty acids at the n-6 or n-3 position, and even among plants, there are species differences."
- 4 To become less saturated or unsaturated.; To decrease in saturation. intransitive
"I am partial to the more threadbare gems and find the more distressed pieces to be the most beautiful. When the rug is worn, the graphic patterns soften slightly, the dye desaturates, and the pile is evenly low so the weave is really visible."
- 5 To become less saturated or unsaturated.; Of the oxygen saturation level in one's hemoglobin: to decrease, to drop. intransitive
""It's all pressure on the heart. Oxygen levels are desaturating, that's not good for the body and the biggest link for untreated sleep apnoea would be heart attacks, strokes and driving accidents," she said."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To become less saturated or unsaturated.; To undergo a decrease in the oxygen saturation level in the hemoglobin. intransitive
"After Ida left, Susan deteriorated. The next day, the hospital called to say she kept removing her oxygen mask. “Patient desaturates to 82% without mask, however if held then oxygen improves,” her notes say."
Example
More examples"With this in mind, Desai has called for imposing more stringent regulations on the ride-hailing sector, to create a more level playing field and, presumably, to desaturate the pool of drivers."
Etymology
From de- + saturate.
More for "desaturate"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.