saturate

/ˈsætʃəreɪt/

Say it: SACH-uh-rayt

1. verb To soak something thoroughly with a liquid until it can absorb no more.
Use a sponge to saturate the wallpaper with the stripping solution before you try to scrape it off.
2. verb To fill a market, system, or space so completely that no more of something can be added or absorbed.
Cheap copies have begun to saturate the market, driving down the value of the original product.
3. verb In chemistry, to dissolve the greatest possible amount of a substance into a solution.
He continued to add sugar, hoping to saturate the water and form crystals as it cooled.
4. verb To increase the intensity and vividness of a color to its maximum degree.
In the photo editing software, you can saturate the greens to make the landscape look more lush.

📖 Seen in the wild

The heavy rain would saturate the ground, making it difficult to plant crops.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ saturate in a sentence

After the storm, the ground was too saturated to absorb any more water.
The media was saturated with coverage of the royal wedding for weeks.
He argued that the streaming industry is starting to saturate, with too many services competing for subscribers.
The air in the bakery was saturated with the warm smell of fresh bread.
To get the best flavor, saturate the meat with the marinade for at least four hours.
The artist saturated the canvas with deep reds and oranges to depict the sunset.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

drench soak flood permeate inundate pervade imbue infuse

drench · implies a sudden, heavy, and often external soaking.

soak · suggests a more gradual process of becoming thoroughly wet, often by immersion.

flood · used literally or figuratively to suggest an overwhelming and excessive amount.

permeate · emphasizes spreading through every part of a substance or area.

Opposites: dry, dehydrate, deplete, desaturate

🌱 Where it comes from

The word comes directly from the Latin 'saturare', meaning 'to fill full'. This is related to 'satis', which means 'enough'. The core idea has always been about reaching a point of fullness where nothing more can be added, a meaning that applies to everything from a wet sponge to a competitive market.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

saturate the marketsaturate the mediasaturate with liquidbecome saturated withsaturate a color

While 'saturate' can be a simple synonym for 'soak', its key nuance is the idea of reaching a maximum capacity or breaking point. Something that is saturated cannot absorb any more. This makes it a powerful word in figurative contexts, especially in business and media, to describe a market or information space that is completely full.

Word family: saturation, saturated, desaturate

💬 Quick answers

What does 'saturate' mean in simple terms?

It means to fill or soak something so completely that it's impossible to add any more. This can apply to a sponge with water, a market with products, or the news with a certain story.

What's the difference between 'saturate' and 'soak'?

'Soak' means to make something very wet. 'Saturate' is more specific, meaning to make something so wet or full that it has reached its absolute limit and cannot absorb any more.

What does it mean to 'saturate the market'?

This is a business term meaning to supply a market with so much of a product that demand is fully met and there is no room for new growth or new competitors.

Is 'saturate' a formal word?

It is a neutral word that can be used in both everyday conversation, like talking about a wet towel, and more formal or technical contexts, like chemistry or economics.

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