Hygroscopic

//ha͜ɪ.ɡɹəˈscɔp.ɪk// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Readily taking up and retaining water, especially from the atmosphere. physical

    "The tissues of Ralfsia are dense and the cells are extremely hygroscopic. The plants may become almost crisp dry in the sun, yet remain alive and continue growth with the first splash of the incoming tide."

Adjective
  1. 1
    absorbing moisture (as from the air) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
absorbenthydrophilic

Example

More examples

"Sodium hydroxide is quite hygroscopic."

Etymology

From French hygroscopique.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.