Meanings
comparative more absorptive · superlative most absorptive
- Having power, capacity, or tendency to absorb or imbibe; absorbent.First known use First attested in the mid 17ᵗʰ century.
In practice, from that date onwards until recent times, the economic absorptive capacity of the country has been treated as the sole limiting factor […]
1939, British White Paper of Palestine of 1939
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivehaving power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up something (liquids or energy etc.)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
- Proto-Italic*ap
- Latinab
- Latinab-
- Proto-Indo-European*srebʰ-
- Proto-Indo-European*srobʰéyeti
- Proto-Italic*sorβeō
- Latinsorbeō
- Latinabsorbeō
- Old Frenchassorbir
- Middle Frenchabsorber
- Englishabsorb
- Englishabsorptive
Translations
Dutch absorberend
- absorberendhaving capacity to imbibe
Finnish imeyttävä, absorboiva
- imeyttävähaving capacity to imbibe
- absorboivahaving capacity to imbibe
Malay berdaya serap, absorptif
- berdaya seraphaving capacity to imbibe
- absorptifhaving capacity to imbibe
Norwegian Bokmål absorptiv, absorberende
- absorptivhaving capacity to imbibe
- absorberendehaving capacity to imbibe
- absorbentany substance that absorbs
- absorbatorany substance that absorbs
Polish chłonny, wchłanający
- chłonnyhaving capacity to imbibe
- wchłanającyhaving capacity to imbibe
- pochłanającyhaving capacity to imbibe
- absorbującyhaving capacity to imbibe
- absorbentany substance that absorbs
- pochłaniaczany substance that absorbs
Portuguese absortivo, absorvente
- absortivohaving capacity to imbibe
- absorventehaving capacity to imbibe
Swedish absorberande
- absorberandehaving capacity to imbibe
Cite this entry
absorptive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absorptive
“absorptive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absorptive. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “absorptive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absorptive.
Source: absorptive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.