hypersaline
adjective
hy·per·sa·line
ˌhī-pər-ˈsā-ˌlēn 
-ˌlīn
variants
or less commonly hyper-saline
: highly saline
… they dwell in one of the world's harshest habitats—shallow hypersaline lakes. Few creatures can tolerate the unusual environments of these saline deserts.—
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay GouldSugar production is blamed for diverting freshwater flow through the Everglades and dumping excess nutrients. As a result, water flowing from the Everglades into Florida Bay and ultimately into the Keys, is hypersaline and prone to algal blooms.—Rodale's Scuba Diving
Rodale's Scuba Diving
hypersalinity
ˌhī-pər-sā-ˈli-nə-tē
noun
-sə-
or less commonly hyper-salinity
Fresh water flowing into the sea is trapped; with no outflow, the only way out is up. High evaporation rates in this hot, arid zone result in extreme hypersalinity.
—Batsheva Sobelman
Batsheva Sobelman
Examples of hypersaline in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Underwater brine pools Another possible ocean source of lithium and potentially rare earth elements may lie in unusual underwater lakes called hypersaline brine pools.
—
Leonardo MacElloni,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
Padre Island National Seashore also borders the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline lagoons in the world.
—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
Artemia, or brine shrimp, thrive in hypersaline lakes that would be intolerable to most species.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Oct. 2025
In contrast to shallower hypersaline bodies in which precipitation and deposition occur during the dry season, in the Dead Sea salt formation occurs during the entire year.
—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Due to evaporation, some isolated bodies of water can become hypersaline, or extra salty.
—
Jennifer Leman,
Popular Mechanics,
16 Mar. 2023
The hypersaline high-desert lake, famous for its towering, craggy tufa formations, has been at the center of long-running disputes over the city’s diversions of water from the lake’s feeder streams.
—
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2022
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Leonardo MacElloni,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
Padre Island National Seashore also borders the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline lagoons in the world.
—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
Artemia, or brine shrimp, thrive in hypersaline lakes that would be intolerable to most species.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Oct. 2025
In contrast to shallower hypersaline bodies in which precipitation and deposition occur during the dry season, in the Dead Sea salt formation occurs during the entire year.
—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Due to evaporation, some isolated bodies of water can become hypersaline, or extra salty.
—
Jennifer Leman,
Popular Mechanics,
16 Mar. 2023
The hypersaline high-desert lake, famous for its towering, craggy tufa formations, has been at the center of long-running disputes over the city’s diversions of water from the lake’s feeder streams.
—
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Hypersaline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypersaline. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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