saturation
noun
sat·u·ra·tion
| \ ˌsa-chə-ˈrā-shən
\
\
Definition of saturation
1a
: the act of saturating : the state of being saturated
2
: conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (as by hydrogenation)
3
: a state of maximum impregnation: such as
a
: complete infiltration : permeation
b
: the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature
c
: magnetization to the point beyond which a further increase in the intensity of the magnetizing force will produce no further magnetization
4a
: chromatic purity : freedom from dilution with white
b(1)
: degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness
—used of an object color
(2)
: degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness
—used of a light-source color
— compare hue sense 2c
5
: the supplying of a market with as much of a product as it will absorb
6
: an overwhelming concentration of military forces or firepower
Examples of saturation in a Sentence
Heavy rains resulted in the saturation of the soil.
the saturation of advertising on television
Recent Examples on the Web
Given the saturation of the market around men’s football, with plenty of industries—generally bookmakers and brewers—incessantly targeting the same audience, the opportunities in women’s football are considerable. — Fox News, "French mayor dies after trying to stop illegal dumping: report," 8 Aug. 2019 But even the rain lovers among us are reaching a point of saturation. — Washington Post, "Heavy rains can damage a vegetable garden — but the gardener can protect it," 24 July 2019 Tarantino is still practicing a cinema of saturation, demanding the audience’s total attention and bombarding us with allusions, visual jokes, flights of profane eloquence, daubs of throwaway beauty and gobs of premeditated gore. — New York Times, "‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ Review: We Lost It at the Movies," 24 July 2019 As these wildfires might pile up, you’re going to reach a point of saturation very quickly, where either ratepayers can’t pay their bills, shareholders won’t buy the stock and on down the line. — Taryn Luna, latimes.com, "Utility customers will pay $10.5 billion for California wildfire costs under bill sent to Newsom," 11 July 2019 Ogemaw County, home to the northern Michigan communities of West Branch and Rose City, had the heaviest saturation of pills: 125.7 pills per person a year. — Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, "Where did all the pain pills go? These Michigan counties got the most.," 19 July 2019 Given the saturation of the market around men’s football, with plenty of industries—generally bookmakers and brewers—incessantly targeting the same audience, the opportunities in women’s football are considerable. — M.s., The Economist, "Women’s football is flourishing, on the pitch and off it," 24 June 2019 Recently, saturation patrols from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office and Milwaukee Police Department were dispatched to halt the problem. — Talis Shelbourne, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "As Milwaukee seeks solutions for reckless driving, some blame low police budget while others seek alternatives to police," 8 July 2019 This suggests hints at a new trend to watch: while streaming continues to increase in the U.S., that rate of growth is liable to slow as the user base edges towards its saturation point. — Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, "Five Takeaways From Nielsen Music's Mid-Year 2019 Report," 27 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'saturation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for saturation
saturation
noun
English Language Learners Definition of saturation
: the act or result of making something very wet
: the act or result of supplying so much of something that no more is wanted
: the act of using military force over a whole area
See the full definition for saturation in the English Language Learners Dictionary
saturation
noun
sat·u·ra·tion
| \ ˌsach-ə-ˈrā-shən
\
\
Medical Definition of saturation
1
: the act of saturating : the state of being saturated
2
: conversion of an unsaturated to a saturated chemical compound (as by hydrogenation)
3
: a state of maximum impregnation
especially
: the presence in air of the most water possible under existent pressure and temperature
4a
: the one of the three psychological dimensions of color perception that is related to the purity of the color and that decreases as the amount of white present in the stimulus increases
— called also intensity
— compare brightness, hue
b(1)
: degree of difference from the gray having the same lightness
—used of an object color
(2)
: degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness
—used of a light-source color
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