Surfactant

//səɹˈfæktənt// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A surface-active agent, or wetting agent, capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid; typically organic compounds having a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”.

    "Dr. Khorana added that this is especially true of cleansers that feature surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, as this class of ingredients can cause “dryness, irritation and eczema.”"

  2. 2
    a chemical agent capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved wordnet
  3. 3
    A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.

    "It is conceivable that impairment of surfactant proteins is due to rheological and immunodefensive disorders of testis and epididymis or prostate."

Synonyms

All synonyms
detergentsurface-active agenttensidewetterwetting agentwetting agent

Example

More examples

"But the project's principal investigator, at the materials science center of Trinity College in Dublin, says it can be done by mixing graphite with water and a surfactant, a form of soap, in an ordinary kitchen blender."

Etymology

Blend of surface-active + agent.

Related phrases

surface active agentsurface tensionwetting agent

More for "surfactant"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Editorial Guides For "surfactant"

How to Write Clear Call-to-Action Copy

Create stronger CTA text for landing pages and product flows without hype language.

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

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