saturation

saturation — noun

1. a state in which something has taken in or absorbed as much as it possibly can,

1.nounB2
Definition

a state in which something has taken in or absorbed as much as it possibly can, so that nothing more can fit, enter, or be used.

Example

The local coffee market reached saturation, with six cafés on one street alone.

market saturation — too many competitors for demand

Otis warned his team that further advertising would be useless once market saturation was reached.

Common collocations
  • market saturation
  • reach saturation
  • saturation point
  • water saturation
  • saturation of the market
Synonyms
  • fullness

    more general; describes any container that is full, not specifically the limit beyond which nothing more can enter

  • capacity

    focuses on the maximum amount that can be held, not the state of having reached it

  • overload

    suggests strain or damage from too much, not just reaching a limit

Antonyms
  • shortage

    a situation where there is less than needed

Grammar Patterns

saturation + of + noun

reach + saturation

saturation point

Usage Note

Frequently used in business and marketing contexts (market saturation, saturation point). Subject is often a market, system, or natural material that has a clear limit on what it can hold.

Common Mistakes

The store has a saturation of customers.
The market has reached saturation.
'saturation' describes a state or limit, not a large quantity of something.
There is too much saturation of food on the table.
The table is completely full.
'saturation' is not used for visible physical fullness in everyday contexts.

2. the condition of being completely and thoroughly soaked by a liquid, so that no

2.nounB2
Definition

the condition of being completely and thoroughly soaked by a liquid, so that no dry area remains inside a material.

Example

The sudden downpour caused total saturation of Tuan's shirt within seconds.

total saturation — completely soaked through

These towels need another five minutes in the water to reach full saturation.

Common collocations
  • water saturation
  • full saturation
  • total saturation
  • soil saturation
  • saturation level
Synonyms
  • soaking

    more common in everyday speech; describes the action or state of getting wet

  • drenching

    emphasises being very wet, often from heavy rain or a large amount of water

  • sogginess

    describes the resulting unpleasant wet state, especially in food or fabric

Antonyms
  • dryness

    the state of being completely free of liquid

Grammar Patterns

total + saturation

saturation + of + noun

reach + saturation

Usage Note

Most common in physical descriptions involving liquids and absorbent materials (sponges, towels, soil, clothing). This sense is less frequent in everyday speech than the business or chemistry senses.

Common Mistakes

I spilled water on the table and caused saturation.
The cloth reached saturation from the spilled water.
'saturation' describes the state of an absorbent material, not the act of spilling.
The rain gave me saturation.
The rain soaked me through completely.
'saturation' is not used as a direct experience ('gave me saturation') in English.

3. the point at which a liquid has dissolved as much of a solid, gas, or other subs

3.nounB2
Definition

the point at which a liquid has dissolved as much of a solid, gas, or other substance as it can hold under normal conditions of temperature and pressure.

Example

Rania added salt to the water until it reached saturation and the crystals stopped dissolving.

reach saturation — no more dissolves

The chemist said sugar saturation in hot tea is much higher than in cold tea.

Common collocations
  • saturation point
  • saturation of a solution
  • reach saturation
  • at saturation
  • saturation concentration
Synonyms
  • concentration

    measures how much of a substance is present, not necessarily the maximum possible amount

  • solubility limit

    the precise scientific term for the maximum amount that can dissolve

Antonyms
  • dilution

    the process of making a liquid weaker by adding more liquid

Grammar Patterns

saturation + of + substance + in + liquid

reach + saturation

at + saturation

Usage Note

Common in chemistry, meteorology, and cooking. Temperature plays a key role — most substances become more soluble as the liquid heats up. Frequently appears with 'point' (saturation point) to indicate the specific threshold.

Common Mistakes

The water has a high saturation.
The water is at saturation point.
'saturation' is used with 'at' or 'point' to describe the limit, not as a simple measurable quantity.
The saturation of the air is 80 percent.
The relative humidity is 80 percent.
in meteorology, 'relative humidity' is the preferred term for percentage values.

4. the quality of being rich, deep, and pure in colour, rather than pale or washed

4.nounB2
Definition

the quality of being rich, deep, and pure in colour, rather than pale or washed out; how strong a colour looks in an image or on a screen.

Example

Femi turned up the saturation on his phone screen until the grass looked nearly fluorescent.

turn up saturation — increase colour strength

The photographer lowered the saturation in editing software to give the portrait a softer feel.

Common collocations
  • high saturation
  • low saturation
  • colour saturation
  • saturation level
  • adjust the saturation
  • increase saturation
  • decrease saturation
Synonyms
  • vibrancy

    describes colours that feel alive and energetic; overlaps with high saturation

  • intensity

    a broader term that can refer to brightness or strength of light, not only colour purity

  • chroma

    the technical colour-science term for saturation; rarely used outside professional contexts

Antonyms
  • desaturation

    the process of removing colour, resulting in a grayscale or muted appearance

Grammar Patterns

high + saturation

low + saturation

adjust + saturation

saturation + level

Usage Note

Used in photography, videography, graphic design, and display technology. High saturation makes colours intense and vibrant; low saturation creates a muted, soft, or vintage look. Professional photographers often adjust saturation carefully to avoid unnatural-looking results.

Common Mistakes

The saturation of the picture is very bright.
The saturation of the picture is very high.
colours are 'high' or 'low' in saturation, not 'bright'.
This photo has too much colour saturation.
This photo is oversaturated.
the adjective 'oversaturated' is more natural than 'too much colour saturation'.

Word family

  • saturate
    verbB2
  • saturated
    adjectiveB2
  • unsaturated
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all relate to the idea of having a lot of something, but they differ in where the limit lies. Fullness is the most general: a glass can be full, a room can be full, but a market is rarely described as full — it is saturated. Overload adds the idea of strain or damage from too much: an overloaded circuit may fail, but a saturated market simply offers no room for growth. Glut is specific to supply and demand: a glut of oil means more is available than people want to buy, focusing on surplus rather than capacity. Concentration measures how much of one thing is present in a mixture, without implying that a limit has been reached. For example, a high concentration of salt in water does not mean the water cannot hold more — only saturation marks that boundary.

fullness ↗overloadglutconcentration ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • saturation point
  • saturation level
  • saturation of the market
  • reach saturation
  • at full saturation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'saturatio' (a filling, a satiating), derived from 'saturare' meaning 'to fill, to glut, to saturate', which comes from 'satur' (full, sated), itself from 'satis' (enough). The word entered English through French in the 1500s, first used in chemistry contexts and later extended to markets and colours.