precipitant

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tant pri-ˈsi-pə-tənt 

: precipitate

precipitantly adverb

precipitantness noun

precipitant

2 of 2

noun

: a precipitating agent

especially : one that causes the formation of a precipitate

Examples of precipitant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But this appeal is a pretext, not a precipitant, for the war Hamas has launched. — Matthew Levitt, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2023

With purging, this process is accelerated and there is usually a precipitant such as a new product or treatment. — Twiggy Jalloh, Vogue, 30 June 2024

For young adults, loneliness and social isolation are major precipitants of suicide, experts say. — New York Times, 25 June 2018

Alcohol use and nicotine withdrawal Alcohol is a dominant precipitant of air rage incidents. — Milad Haghani, CNN Money, 6 June 2025

In an essay in the Times, Clare Frank, a former chief of fire protection in California, cites pyrotechnics at a gender-reveal party, the smoking out of wasp nests, and campers who decided to burn their excrement as precipitants of recent wildfires. — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1608, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1685, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for precipitant

• omnipotent

Medical Definition

precipitant

noun

pre·​cip·​i·​tant pri-ˈsip-ət-ənt 

: something that precipitates

especially : a chemical agent that causes the formation of a precipitate