Word Adjective
absorptive
adj.
C1 Advanced ab·sorp·tive
Definition
adj.describing something that takes in or holds onto a substance, like a sponge taking in water.
adj.capable of taking in or holding onto a substance, such as a liquid or gas. Often used in technical contexts to describe materials or biological processes.
Examples
“The soil has an absorptive quality that helps it hold water.”
“The new fabric is highly absorptive, making it ideal for athletic wear that needs to wick away sweat.”
“The lining of the small intestine is covered in villi to maximize its absorptive surface area, allowing for the efficient uptake of nutrients from the digestive tract.”
Etymology
From absorb + -tive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Rare
Updated