non-buoyant

7.6

Not able to float in water or rise in air

adjective
/nɒnˈbɔɪənt/

: no flotante

The stone was completely non-buoyant and sank to the bottom instantly.

Examples

Helium balloons float, but an air-filled rubber ball is usually non-buoyant.
Because the object is non-buoyant, extra support is needed to keep it afloat.
The rock is non-buoyant in water.
Why is this material non-buoyant?
The stone was completely non-buoyant and sank to the bottom instantly.
Helium balloons float, but an air-filled rubber ball is usually non-buoyant.
Because the object is non-buoyant, extra support is needed to keep it afloat.

Synonyms

sinkable

vsnon-buoyant

5.8

Able to go below the surface of the water and stay there

tends to sink or fall naturally because it cannot float or stay aloft

settleable

vsnon-buoyant

Specialized

7.0

Can sink to the bottom of a liquid

is broader and covers sinking or falling generally, not only bottom sediment

Antonyms

buoyant

Specialized

9 5.3

Able to float in water or rise in air

How Buoyant

buoyant

Specialized

9 5.3

floatable

3.2

non-buoyant

7.6

sinking

17 2.8

Surface Forms

non-buoyant positive

Morphology

non-buoyant = buoyant (transparent) = non + buoyant

A straightforward negation using the productive prefix 'non-' applied to the adjective 'buoyant', yielding the literal meaning 'not buoyant'.

Etymology

Non-buoyant starts with non- meaning 'not' and the rest comes from buoy, a floating marker you see at sea, which gives buoyant the idea 'able to float'. So non-buoyant means 'not able to float' and will sink rather than stay on the surface.