How to Use hydrophilic in a Sentence

hydrophilic

adjective
  • The pink-and-white hydrophilic sponge is almost too pretty to use — almost.
    — Devon Abelman, Allure, 7 July 2017
  • Asphalt is made from crude oil, but the surface of the stones is chemically close to water and highly hydrophilic.
    — Kao Contributor, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022
  • Kappel says natural hydrophilic lipids go a long way in creating a hydrating hair mask.
    — Nicole Pajer, SELF, 14 Oct. 2021
  • The triglycerides clump together and push away the hydrophilic liquid, the buttermilk.
    — Vince C Reyes, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2013
  • The second layer includes a hydrophilic yarn and a reinforcement yarn.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The second application is sweat-channeling and skin touching, too, just as the hydrophilic side.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
  • It was engineered with a hydrophilic coating so items dry fast and spot free on silicon holders, purpose-built for plates and wine glasses.
    — Brad Japhe, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021
  • The elastane and polyamide blend is made from hydrophilic fibers that swiftly wick away moisture for an unbelievably speedy drying time post sweat sesh.
    — Braelyn Wood, Health.com, 2 Dec. 2019
  • The first is hydrophobic (repels water) and the second is hydrophilic (absorbs water).
    — Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Hyaluronic filler is hydrophilic, sometimes attracting lymph fluid that results in long-term discoloration. Anti-inflammatory and pro-healing topical skincare is the next line of defense, after icing, in reducing downtime.
    — Jessica Ourisman, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 Feb. 2023
  • Hydrogels are a unique gel-type comprising a three-dimensional network of hydrophilic polymer chains.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
  • It can be made hydrophilic or hydrophobic, porous or watertight, opaque or nearly transparent, delicate or strong, coarse or about as smooth as glass.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2013
  • The hydrophilic surface accelerates bone healing.
    — Malana Vantyler, jsonline.com, 20 Feb. 2026
  • That’s because hydrophilic membranes draw water in, spontaneously entering and filling pores.
    — Alisha McDarris, Popular Science, 2 Jan. 2023
  • The hydrophilic yarn and the reinforcement yarn are plied together, configured into that plurality of valleys, the patent summary reads.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Instead of relying on studs and monster-truck tread patterns, this tire is built with a special hydrophilic coating that sheds water, and tiny, super-hard tread bite particles that keep you from slipping and sliding.
    — Field & Stream, 26 Feb. 2021
  • Together, the three yarns (the hydrophobic, hydrophilic and reinforcement) define those valleys of depressions and channels.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
  • There are, of course, conventional emulsions that are mixtures of unmixable liquids that are stabilized by some amphiphilic (not quite hydrophobic, not quite hydrophilic) substance.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2022
  • An innermost layer made of hydrophilic (water-absorbing) material (cotton or cotton blends).
    — Corey Gaskin, Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2021
  • An innermost layer made of hydrophilic (water-absorbing) material (cotton or cotton blends).
    — Corey Gaskin, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2020
  • Chemists probably already know that these amphiphilic stabilizers are often a surfactant—a small molecule with a hydrophobic end and a hydrophilic end, such as those in detergents.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2022
  • Offering a double-layer lens design and high-performance hydrophilic coating, these goggles minimize any chance of vision-obscuring fogging.
    — Tanya Edwards, CNN Underscored, 29 Sep. 2020
  • Surfactants contain both hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-hating) molecule groups.
    — Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Engineers have tried hydrophilic coatings, zwitterionic polymers, and even UV treatment.
    — Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
  • One method of making the fabric adheres to a schematic flow that begins with knitting a hydrophobic yarn—to form a first layer—before knitting a hydrophilic yarn and a reinforcement yarn together, to form a second layer.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The microneedle surface is coated with a thin layer of gold, mixed with a bio-hydrogel composed of biocompatible and hydrophilic chitosan and horseradish peroxidase enzymes.
    — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Biodegradable silks can be made hydrophilic or hydrophobic depending on the application, and Spiber has overcome the initial shrinkage problem in silk fibers using amino acid modification.
    — Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
  • In these surfactants, the hydrophilic end may simultaneously carry both anionic and cationic hydrophilic groups depending on ambient conditions such as pH (a scale of acid to base).
    — Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 4 Mar. 2025
  • That denaturation continues during a third fermentation, when the proteins break down into fragments with hydrophobic and hydrophilic ends, reducing surface tensions.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Because these devices typically operate by moving ions through a hydrated medium, Facchetti would have suspected a hydrophilic material would be a better choice.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hydrophilic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: