sa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion
sə-ˌpä-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən 
: the act, process, or result of making soap : conversion into soap
sa·pon·i·fy
sə-ˈpä-nə-ˌfī
saponified; saponifying
: to convert (something, such as fat) into soap
specifically
: to hydrolyze (a fat) with alkali to form a soap and glycerol
: to undergo saponifying
Examples of saponification in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
In cold enough water, organic matter—including, unfortunately, dead human bodies—may also undergo a saponification process.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 13 Feb. 2023
The mixture prompts a chemical reaction called saponification.
—Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 20 Oct. 2021
During the saponification process, the body’s fatty acids turn into a waxy, soap-like compound that covers the corpse and prevents putrefaction.
—Oscar Urbiola, National Geographic, 29 Oct. 2019
In a process called saponification, an alkali is used to cause changes in animal or vegetable fats, leaving behind soap and glycerol.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
This allows the soap to finish saponification and for all the excess water to evaporate.
—Meghan Caudill, Good Housekeeping, 8 Jan. 2018
Dakota Kim, Sunset Magazine, 10 Feb. 2020
Made out of a formula that was discovered loosely placed in an old New England Cookbook, this all-natural shampoo bar is made of just three ingredients: saponified olive oil, coconut oil, and castor oil.
—Popular Science, 29 Jan. 2020
Although rare to find, cerebral tissues found in archaeological discoveries have saponified, the process by which triglycerides turn into glycerol and fatty acid salts, or soap.
—Fox News, 24 Jan. 2020
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.
Noun
One display case features the livers of Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins who were widely exhibited as curiosities during the nineteenth century; in another is the corpse of a woman whose fat transformed after death in an unusual form of natural preservation called saponification.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
In cold enough water, organic matter—including, unfortunately, dead human bodies—may also undergo a saponification process.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 13 Feb. 2023
The mixture prompts a chemical reaction called saponification.
—Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 20 Oct. 2021
During the saponification process, the body’s fatty acids turn into a waxy, soap-like compound that covers the corpse and prevents putrefaction.
—Oscar Urbiola, National Geographic, 29 Oct. 2019
In a process called saponification, an alkali is used to cause changes in animal or vegetable fats, leaving behind soap and glycerol.
—C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2018
This allows the soap to finish saponification and for all the excess water to evaporate.
—Meghan Caudill, Good Housekeeping, 8 Jan. 2018
Verb
Beauty products include deodorant cream made with local California sagebrush and arrowroot, as well as the cleansing version of your favorite latte: a golden milk soap saponified with raw goat milk, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, and ginger.
—Dakota Kim, Sunset Magazine, 10 Feb. 2020
Made out of a formula that was discovered loosely placed in an old New England Cookbook, this all-natural shampoo bar is made of just three ingredients: saponified olive oil, coconut oil, and castor oil.
—Popular Science, 29 Jan. 2020
Although rare to find, cerebral tissues found in archaeological discoveries have saponified, the process by which triglycerides turn into glycerol and fatty acid salts, or soap.
—Fox News, 24 Jan. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Saponification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saponification. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
saponification
noun
sa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion
sə-ˌpän-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən
1
: the hydrolysis of a fat by an alkali with the formation of a soap and glycerol
2
: the hydrolysis especially by an alkali of an ester into the corresponding alcohol and acid
broadly
: hydrolysis
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
