hydrophobic

adjective

hy·​dro·​pho·​bic ˌhī-drə-ˈfō-bik How to pronounce hydrophobic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or suffering from hydrophobia
2
: lacking affinity for water
hydrophobicity
ˌhī-drə-fō-ˈbi-sə-tē How to pronounce hydrophobic (audio)
noun

Examples of hydrophobic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If the water sits on the surface after one minute, the soil is hydrophobic. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026 Many soils become hydrophobic when overly dry and can be difficult to rewet. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2026 The scales are hydrophobic enough to make water droplets bead up — but hydrophilic enough to keep them from rolling right off the reptiles. — Jason Bittel, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025 This creates a thin, hydrophobic layer that temporarily stops ice build-up. — Christopher Murray May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for hydrophobic

Word History

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydrophobic was in 1807

Rhymes for hydrophobic

See All Rhymes for hydrophobic

Browse Nearby Words

hydrophobia skunk
hydrophobic
hydrophobous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hydrophobic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrophobic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

hydrophobic

adjective
hy·​dro·​pho·​bic -ˈfō-bik How to pronounce hydrophobic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or suffering from hydrophobia
2
: resistant to or avoiding wetting
a hydrophobic lens
3
: of, relating to, or having a lack of affinity for water
hydrophobic colloids are relatively unstable
compare lyophobic, oleophobic
hydrophobically
-bi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce hydrophobic (audio)
adverb
hydrophobicity
-ˌfō-ˈbis-ət-ē How to pronounce hydrophobic (audio)
noun
plural hydrophobicities
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All