# dissolving

/dɪˈzɔɫvɪŋ/ (US) · /dɪsˈɒlvɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dissolving
Updated: 2026-05-09

## Definition

becoming part of a liquid and disappearing. You use this to describe something like sugar or salt when it mixes into water.

For teachers: undergoing the process of passing into solution; becoming chemically or physically integrated into a liquid medium. Often used as a participial adjective to describe substances in the middle of this transition.

## Examples

- The dissolving sugar makes the tea sweet.
- Scientists monitored the dissolving rate of the new medicine to see how fast it entered the bloodstream.
- The image of the dissolving coastline served as a powerful metaphor for the fragile nature of the protagonist's childhood memories.

## Usage notes

- Typically used as a participial adjective before a noun; can also follow a linking verb like 'is' or 'appears'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.