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unabsorbable

unabsorbable

7.7
Not able to be soaked up by a material or by the body
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌnəbˈzɔːrbəbl/
translation icon : no absorbible
  • Some minerals are unabsorbable by the human digestive system and pass through unchanged.

Examples

  • Doctors use unabsorbable sutures for wounds that need long-term support.

  • The plastic coating makes the surface unabsorbable to water and stains.

  • This fabric is unabsorbable for liquids.

  • The coating on the tiles is unabsorbable.

  • Many vitamins in heavily processed foods are unabsorbable, reducing their nutritional value.

  • Certain synthetic materials are unabsorbable by the environment, leading to pollution.

  • Some types of plastics are unabsorbable, causing them to persist in landfills for decades.

Synonyms

nonabsorbable
vsunabsorbable
  • Specialized
6.1

Not able to be taken in by the body or by materials

is more general about not being taken in by another substance or material
nonabsorptive
vsunabsorbable
8.8

Not able to take in liquids or other materials

is about not being able to be taken in by another substance or material
nonabsorbent
vsunabsorbable
6.2

A material that does not soak up liquids

is broader, covering inability to be taken in by any substance or material
unassimilable
vsunabsorbable
  • Specialized
9.3

Not able to be absorbed or used by living things

is about not being taken in by another substance or material rather than digestion

Antonyms

1 4.6

Able to go into a material through its surface, for example skin or fabric

How Absorbent

absorbent
10 3.4
porous
23 4.6
unabsorbable
7.7
impermeable
4 6.6

Surface Forms

unabsorbable positive

Morphology

unabsorbable = absorbable (transparent) = un + absorb + able

Built by prefixing 'un-' to 'absorbable' (absorb + -able); the physical sense of 'not able to be absorbed' is directly compositional.

Etymology

Unabsorbable is formed from un- 'not' and absorb 'to soak up'. So it describes a material or stitch that will not soak up water or body fluids, like a plastic surface or a permanent stitch used in medicine.