saturation

noun

sat·​u·​ra·​tion ˌsa-chə-ˈrā-shən 

1

a

: the act of saturating : the state of being saturated

b

: satiety, surfeit

2

: conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (as by hydrogenation)

3

: a state of maximum impregnation: such as

a

: complete infiltration : permeation

b

: the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature

c

: magnetization to the point beyond which a further increase in the intensity of the magnetizing force will produce no further magnetization

4

a

: chromatic purity : freedom from dilution with white

b(1)

: degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness

—used of an object color

(2)

: degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness

—used of a light-source color compare hue sense 2c

5

: the supplying of a market with as much of a product as it will absorb

6

: an overwhelming concentration of military forces or firepower

Examples of saturation in a Sentence

Heavy rains resulted in the saturation of the soil.

the saturation of advertising on television

Recent Examples on the Web

The hue, saturation and color value can be adjusted to match the setting as well. —New Atlas, 28 Nov. 2024

The boom in kids content commissioning that nearly doubled between 2020 to 2022 (from 293 titles the first six months of 2020 to 448 the same period 2022) eventually led to a saturation on the market. —Annika Pham, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024

Remove the reeds, flip them over, and insert the opposite ends into the bottle to ensure even saturation. —Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024

Ironically, our new lioness recruitment episode takes us back to Iraq (or a facsimile of Iraq, only distinguishable from the faux-Mexico of the first episode via a slight change in sepia tone saturation) but just long enough to ensure their prospective asset into the program. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing saturation

• saturation bombing
• saturation point

Kids Definition

saturation

noun

sat·​u·​ra·​tion ˌsach-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the act or process of saturating

2

: the state of being saturated

Medical Definition

saturation

noun

sat·​u·​ra·​tion ˌsach-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the act of saturating : the state of being saturated

2

: conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (as by hydrogenation)

3

: a state of maximum impregnation

especially : the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature

4

a

: the one of the three psychological dimensions of color perception that is related to the purity of the color and that decreases as the amount of white present in the stimulus increases

called also intensity

compare brightness, hue

b(1)

: degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness

—used of an object color

(2)

: degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness

—used of a light-source color