Synonyms of impregnate

impregnate

verb

im-ˈpreg-ˌnāt 

as in to soak

to wet thoroughly with liquid

impregnated the cloth with furniture polish

Synonyms & Similar Words

• soak
• saturate
• drown
• drench
• macerate
• immerse
• wash
• submerge
• steep
• penetrate
• dip
• sop
• sodden
• souse
• infiltrate
• marinate
• inundate
• permeate
• bathe
• water
• moisten
• hydrate
• seethe
• swamp
• waterlog
• water-soak
• douse
• damp
• dampen
• presoak
• humidify
• swill

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dry
• wring (out)
• dehydrate
• drain
• empty
• void
• sear
• desiccate
• parch
• dehumidify

Synonym Chooser

How is the word impregnate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of impregnate are drench, saturate, soak, and steep. While all these words mean "to permeate or be permeated with a liquid," impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

When could drench be used to replace impregnate?

While in some cases nearly identical to impregnate, drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

When might saturate be a better fit than impregnate?

The words saturate and impregnate can be used in similar contexts, but saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

Where would soak be a reasonable alternative to impregnate?

While the synonyms soak and impregnate are close in meaning, soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

In what contexts can steep take the place of impregnate?

In some situations, the words steep and impregnate are roughly equivalent. However, steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of impregnate

Sealing granite surfaces with an impregnating sealer supplies protection against stains. —Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Nov. 2025

The financier had also spent decades aspiring to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women at his vast, secluded desert ranch in New Mexico. —Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 15 Nov. 2025

However, this theory was later debunked when Edgar Patino, a married man who had impregnated Touma, was found to be her murderer, according to authorities. —Mason Leath, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025

One of Johnson’s timeliest essays, though, is about Alien, Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror about an extraterrestrial creature that forcibly impregnates a member of a commercial hauling ship, killing him when the alien fetus bursts out of his abdomen. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025