Definition

1. Adjective:
   • (Of a substance) capable of being dissolved in a liquid, especially water: Describes a solid, liquid, or gas that can mix uniformly with a solvent to form a solution.
   • Capable of being solved or explained: Describes a problem, puzzle, or mystery that can be resolved or understood.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a substance's property:
  • Sugar is soluble in water. (Sugar can dissolve in water.)
  • This vitamin is fat-soluble, not water-soluble. (This vitamin dissolves in fats, not in water.)
• Describing a problem or puzzle:
  • The mystery was complex but ultimately soluble. (The mystery was complex but could be solved.)
  • We believe the technical issue is soluble with our current resources. (We believe the technical issue can be resolved with our current resources.)

Advanced Usage

• "Freely soluble": A term often used in chemistry to indicate a substance dissolves readily in a given solvent.
  • Sodium chloride is freely soluble in water.
• "Soluble fiber": A specific nutritional term for a type of dietary fiber that dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance.
  • Oats are a good source of soluble fiber.

Variants and Related Words

• Solubility (n): The quality or degree of being soluble; the maximum amount of a substance that can be dissolved in a given solvent under specific conditions.
  • The solubility of this compound increases with temperature.
• Insoluble (adj): The direct antonym, meaning incapable of being dissolved or solved.
  • Sand is insoluble in water. The riddle seemed insoluble.

Synonyms

• Dissolvable: Capable of being dissolved (for substances).
• Solvable: Capable of being solved (for problems).
• Explainable: Capable of being explained.

Antonyms

• Insoluble: Not able to be dissolved or solved.
• Indissoluble: Incapable of being dissolved or decomposed.

Adjective

1. susceptible of solution or of being solved or explained
   • the puzzle is soluble
2. (of a substance) capable of being dissolved in some solvent (usually water)