Meaning & use
insoluble
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparablechemistrytechnical
Describing a substance that will not dissolve in a liquid such as water.
Grammar: Often followed by in: insoluble in water; used both before a noun and after be.
Patterns
- insoluble in something
- an insoluble substance
Sand is insoluble in water, so it sinks to the bottom of the glass.
Fiber that is insoluble passes through the body without breaking down.
The scientist filtered out the insoluble residue left in the beaker.
adjectivenot comparableformal
Describing a problem or difficulty that has no possible answer or cannot be resolved.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun such as problem or mystery.
Patterns
- an insoluble problem
- an insoluble puzzle
The two sides faced what looked like an insoluble dispute over water rights.
For years the case seemed an insoluble mystery to the police.
She treated the clash as an insoluble difference rather than something to negotiate.
Common combinations
- insoluble in water
- The powder is insoluble in water but dissolves in alcohol.
- insoluble fiber
- Whole grains are rich in insoluble fiber.
- insoluble problem
- Traffic seemed an insoluble problem for the city.
- insoluble compound
- Chalk is an insoluble compound in plain water.
- insoluble dilemma
- They found themselves in an insoluble dilemma.
Synonyms and how they differ
- undissolvable
- Undissolvable is a rarer plain-English version that only covers the chemistry sense.
- unsolvable
- Unsolvable is the everyday word for a problem with no answer, and sounds less formal than insoluble.
- intractable
- Intractable describes a problem that stubbornly resists solution but might not be strictly impossible.
Opposites
Word family
- insolubility noun
- the quality of not dissolving or being unsolvable
- soluble adjective
- able to be dissolved
- solubility noun
- how well something dissolves
- solution noun
- a liquid mixture, or the answer to a problem
Commonly confused: insoluble or insolvable?
insoluble vs insolvable
Insolvable is a rarer form meaning impossible to solve; do not confuse it with insolvent, which means unable to pay debts.
Practice
Which choice completes the sentence? Oil is ____ in water, so it floats in a layer on top.
Choose one answer.
Insoluble means not able to dissolve. Soluble is the opposite, while solvent names a dissolving liquid and solved relates to answers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “insoluble”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.