Meaning & use
soluble
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparablechemistry
Able to dissolve in a liquid, usually water.
Grammar: Often followed by in: soluble in water.
Patterns
- soluble in something
- water-soluble
Sugar is soluble in water, but sand is not.
This vitamin is soluble in fat, not water.
Soluble aspirin dissolves quickly in a glass of water.
adjectivecomparableformal
Able to be solved or explained.
Grammar: Describes problems or puzzles: a soluble problem.
Patterns
- a soluble problem
The engineers believed the problem was soluble with enough time.
Not every puzzle in the book is soluble.
He insisted that the conflict was soluble through talks.
Word forms
| comparative | more soluble |
|---|---|
| superlative | most soluble |
Common combinations
- soluble in water
- Salt is soluble in water.
- water-soluble
- This paint is water-soluble, so it washes off easily.
- highly soluble
- The powder is highly soluble and mixes instantly.
- soluble fiber
- Oats are rich in soluble fiber.
- soluble problem
- They claimed it was a soluble problem.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dissolvable
- Dissolvable is the plain everyday word for something that can dissolve, while soluble sounds more scientific.
- solvable
- Solvable fits problems and puzzles only, whereas soluble covers dissolving substances too.
- miscible
- Miscible describes liquids that mix together, while soluble describes a solid or gas dissolving in a liquid.
Opposites
Word family
- solubility noun
- the ability of a substance to dissolve
- solute noun
- the substance that is dissolved
- solvent noun
- a liquid that dissolves another substance
- dissolve verb
- to mix into a liquid until it disappears
- insoluble adjective
- not able to dissolve or be solved
Commonly confused: soluble or solvent?
soluble vs solvent
A solvent is the liquid that does the dissolving, while soluble describes the substance that dissolves; solvent also means able to pay debts.
Practice
Because the powder is ______ in water, it disappears completely when stirred into a glass.
Choose one answer.
Soluble in water means able to dissolve in it. Solvent is a lookalike, but it names the liquid doing the dissolving.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soluble”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.