oversaturate

verb

over·​sat·​u·​rate ˌō-vər-ˈsa-chə-ˌrāt 

oversaturated; oversaturating

transitive verb

: to saturate to an excessive degree

… since the company went public, it's been opening so many stores that it's at risk of oversaturating its own market …

—Angela Mulholland

… the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge … slipped several feet in February when storms oversaturated the underlying soil.

—Kurtis Alexander

… settings that don't oversaturate colors or look too dim.

—Dieter Bohn

also : supersaturate

oversaturated the water with salt

oversaturated adjective

… delivers impressive image quality. Colors are bright and realistic without being oversaturated.

—Luisa Simone

Perhaps you remember a chemistry experiment from high school: You dissolve a salt in hot water, let the solution cool down, put a small crystal in the now oversaturated solution—then all of a sudden crystals form.

—Bert J. M. de Vries

oversaturation

ˌō-vər-ˌsa-chə-ˈrā-shən 

adjective

oversaturation of the market with too many action films

… colors usually struck a nice balance between accurate and pleasant oversaturation.

—Mitt Jones

Examples of oversaturate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both brands are owned by Chinese firm Geely, and Chinese automakers have been looking overseas to expand business as their own market has become oversaturated and is now showing signs of stagnation. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 10 Sep. 2026

Food and drink Opening four spots for dining and imbibing in an area as gastronomically oversaturated as this is a punchy move. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026

Nationally, the housing market has become oversaturated with agents, and not just with ones who used to be on TV. — Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026

Your grass will get plenty of hydration from Mother Nature, so less watering can prevent the soil from becoming oversaturated. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for oversaturate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate