unabsorbable
Definition
- Adjective:
- Not capable of being absorbed: "unabsorbable" describes a substance or material that cannot be taken in, assimilated, or incorporated by another substance, organism, or system. This is the core meaning, often used in scientific or medical contexts.
Usage Examples
- (They cannot be broken down and taken into the body.)
- (It cannot be dissolved or taken in by the liquid.)
- (It passes through without being taken in.)
Advanced Usage
- "unabsorbable by": used to specify the medium or entity that cannot absorb the subject.
- The medication is unabsorbable by the stomach lining. (The stomach cannot take in the drug.)
- "unabsorbable into": used to indicate a target system or substance.
- This metal is unabsorbable into the soil. (It cannot be incorporated into the ground.)
Variants and Related Words
- Absorb (verb): to take in or soak up.
- The sponge absorbs water. (It takes in the liquid.)
- Absorbable (adj): capable of being absorbed.
- This suture is absorbable by the body. (It can be taken in and broken down.)
- Unabsorbed (adj): not taken in or assimilated.
- The unabsorbed nutrients were excreted. (The nutrients that were not taken in were removed.)
- Nonabsorbable (adj): a synonym meaning not capable of being absorbed.
- Nonabsorbable sutures must be removed manually. (They cannot be taken in by the body.)
Synonyms
- Nonabsorbable: not capable of being absorbed.
- Impermeable: not allowing passage or absorption (often for liquids or gases).
- Resistant: not susceptible to absorption (e.g., resistant to water).
Antonyms
- Absorbable: capable of being absorbed.
- Permeable: allowing substances to pass through or be absorbed.
Related Idioms
- "Like water off a duck's back": describing something that is unabsorbable in a figurative sense, meaning it has no effect.
- Criticism is unabsorbable to him; it's like water off a duck's back. (He is not affected by it.)