What does solubility mean?
Solubility is a noun meaning the capacity of one substance to dissolve in another, called the solvent. The term also refers to the amount of a substance that can dissolve in a given quantity of solvent under particular conditions, especially those of temperature and pressure. A substance with high solubility dissolves readily, while one with low solubility may remain separate or dissolve only slightly. Solubility is important in chemistry, biology, medicine, and industry because it affects how substances are mixed, transported, absorbed, and separated. The word is formal and technical, but it describes an everyday idea: why sugar disperses through water while oil does not, or why some medications dissolve in the stomach. Solubility should not be confused with solubility-related adjectives such as soluble or with solvent, which names the substance doing the dissolving.
nounThe capacity of a substance to dissolve in a solvent, or the amount of a substance that dissolves in a given quantity of solvent under specified conditions.
- The capacity of a substance to dissolve in a solvent.
- The amount of a substance that can dissolve in a given quantity of solvent under specified conditions.
"The solubility of the compound increases as the temperature of the water rises."
"Salt has high solubility in water, especially at warmer temperatures."
"The report compares the solubility of several pharmaceutical compounds in water and oil."
The standard plural is used when discussing the solubilities of different substances or conditions.
"The researchers compared the solubilities of the two compounds in water."
The same substance can be highly soluble in one liquid and practically insoluble in another: solubility is a relationship between substances, not a fixed property of one alone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does solubility come from?
The word comes from Latin solubilis, meaning “able to be loosened or dissolved,” which is related to solvere, “to loosen, untie, or solve.” English borrowed related forms such as solve, soluble, solution, solvent, and dissolve. The noun solubility developed as a systematic English formation meaning “the quality or state of being soluble.”
How solubility is actually used
This is primarily a formal scientific term, especially common in chemistry, pharmacology, biology, and materials science. It is usually used with qualifiers such as high, low, limited, or aqueous when describing a substance's behavior in a particular solvent.
Easily confused with solubility
Solubility is the capacity of a substance to dissolve, whereas soluble is the adjective describing a substance that can dissolve in a solvent.
A solvent is the substance in which another substance dissolves, while solubility describes how readily that second substance dissolves.