saline

1 of 2

adjective

sa·​line ˈsā-ˌlēn  -ˌlīn 

1

: consisting of or containing salt

a saline solution

2

: of, relating to, or resembling salt : salty

a saline taste

3

: consisting of or relating to the salts of the alkali metals or of magnesium

a saline cathartic

salinity

sā-ˈli-nə-tē 

sə-

noun

saline

2 of 2

noun

1

: a metallic salt

especially : a salt of potassium, sodium, or magnesium with a cathartic action

2

: a saline solution

especially : one isosmotic with body fluids

Synonyms of saline

Adjective

• salt

Examples of saline in a Sentence

Adjective

tears are saline

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Oktyabr Dospanov, curator of the Nukus Museum of Art’s archaeology department, explained that rice cultivation in Karakalpakstan took off in the 1960s, when Soviet agronomists introduced it as a salt-tolerant crop for the area’s saline soil. —Michael Snyder, Saveur, 11 Mar. 2026

How to refill a saline lake Growing the lake is a much bigger and more expensive challenge than remedying the salinity problem. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026

Noun

If floaters become bothersome or affect visual function, vitrectomy surgery to remove the vitreous and replace it with saline can be an option, Do said. —Cathy Nelson, Health, 13 Mar. 2026

Before that, residents carried buckets, not from the saline Ounila, but from a more distant spring. —Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French salin, from Latin salinus, from sal salt — more at salt

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing saline

• hyper-saline
• physiological saline

Rhymes for saline

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

saline

adjective

sa·​line

ˈsā-ˌlēn, 

-ˌlīn

1

: consisting of or containing salt

a saline solution

2

: of, relating to, or resembling salt

salinity

sā-ˈlin-ət-ē, 

sə-

noun

Medical Definition

saline

1 of 2 adjective

sa·​line ˈsā-ˌlēn  -ˌlīn 

1

: consisting of or containing salt

a saline solution

2

: of, relating to, or resembling salt : salty

a saline taste

3

: consisting of or relating to the salts especially of lithium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium

a saline cathartic

4

: relating to or being abortion induced by the injection of a highly concentrated saline solution into the amniotic sac

saline amniocentesis

saline

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a metallic salt

especially : a salt of potassium, sodium, or magnesium with a cathartic action

b

: an aqueous solution of one or more such salts

2

: a saline solution used in physiology

especially : physiological saline