polyunsaturated

UK: /ˌpɒliʌnˈsætʃəreɪtɪd/

US: /ˌpɑliʌnˈsætʃəˌreɪtɪd/

US: (pol′ē un sach′ə rā′tid)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

pol•y•un•sat•u•rat•ed /ˌpɑliʌnˈsætʃəˌreɪtɪd/   adj. 

1. Nutrition, Anatomy (of a food) made from vegetable fats and associated with a low cholesterol content of the blood.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pol•y•un•sat•u•rat•ed  (pol′ē un sach′ə rā′tid), adj. [Nutrition.]

1. Nutrition, Anatomy of or noting a class of animal or vegetable fats, esp. plant oils, whose molecules consist of carbon chains with many double bonds unsaturated by hydrogen atoms and that are associated with a low cholesterol content of the blood.

• poly- + unsaturated 1930–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

polyunsaturated / ˌpɒlɪʌnˈsætʃəˌreɪtɪd/ adjective

1. of or relating to a class of animal and vegetable fats, the molecules of which consist of long carbon chains with many double bonds. Polyunsaturated compounds are less likely to be converted into cholesterol in the body. They are widely used in margarines and in the manufacture of paints and varnishes
   See also monounsaturated