saturation

noun

sat·​u·​ra·​tion ˌsa-chə-ˈrā-shən 

1

a

: the act of saturating : the state of being saturated

b

: satiety, surfeit

2

: conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (as by hydrogenation)

3

: a state of maximum impregnation: such as

a

: complete infiltration : permeation

b

: the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature

c

: magnetization to the point beyond which a further increase in the intensity of the magnetizing force will produce no further magnetization

4

a

: chromatic purity : freedom from dilution with white

b(1)

: degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness

—used of an object color

(2)

: degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness

—used of a light-source color compare hue sense 2c

5

: the supplying of a market with as much of a product as it will absorb

6

: an overwhelming concentration of military forces or firepower

Examples of saturation in a Sentence

Heavy rains resulted in the saturation of the soil.

the saturation of advertising on television

Recent Examples on the Web

Adding that programming to its in-house offerings marks a further evolution for the streamer, which is moving to broaden its audience appeal as its penetration in France nears saturation levels, and matches, or tops, that of free-to-air national broadcasters. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025

The convergence of policy headwinds, market saturation concerns, and operational underperformance creates a challenging environment for Enphase Energy. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

Before the 24/7 saturation that came with cable, those Saturday afternoons were the best: Wide World of Sports. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025

Beyond traditional broadcast comedy news, young male conservative comedians who were shunned by the liberal entertainment community are now finding a new audience — one searching for respite amid the media saturation of politically correct comedy. —Allison Jiang, The Hill, 10 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing saturation

• saturation bombing
• saturation point

Rhymes for saturation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

saturation

noun

sat·​u·​ra·​tion ˌsach-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the act or process of saturating

2

: the state of being saturated

Medical Definition

saturation

noun

sat·​u·​ra·​tion ˌsach-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the act of saturating : the state of being saturated

2

: conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (as by hydrogenation)

3

: a state of maximum impregnation

especially : the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature

4

a

: the one of the three psychological dimensions of color perception that is related to the purity of the color and that decreases as the amount of white present in the stimulus increases

called also intensity

compare brightness, hue

b(1)

: degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness

—used of an object color

(2)

: degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness

—used of a light-source color