not saturated (of a chemical compound, esp an organic compound) containing one or more double or triple bonds and thus capable of undergoing addition reactions (of a fat, esp a vegetable fat) containing a high proportion of fatty acids having double bonds (of a solution) containing less solute than a saturated solution
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
un•sat•u•rat•ed
(un sach′ə rā′tid),USA pronunciation adj.
un•sat•u•rate
(un sach′ər it, -ə rāt′),USA pronunciation n.
un′sat•u•ra′tion, n.
- Chemistrynot saturated; having the power to dissolve still more of a substance.
- Chemistry(of an organic compound) having a double or triple bond and capable of taking on elements or groups by direct chemical combination without the liberation of other elements or compounds, as ethylene, CH2=CH2;
undersaturated.
- un-1 + saturated 1750–60
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'unsaturated' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-ene
- -ole
- ENE
- aliphatic
- alkene
- alkene series
- alkyne
- alkyne series
- amylene
- aromatic
- aromaticity
- calciferol
- carotene
- cis-
- cyclic
- cycloaddition
- cycloolefin
- cyclopentadiene
- ethylene series
- farnesol
- furan
- hydrogenate
- ionone
- irone
- lapse rate
- linalool
- linoleic acid
- maleic anhydride
- methyl methacrylate
- monounsaturated
- nerol
- oleic acid
- oleyl alcohol
- olé
- omega-3 fatty acid
- palmitoleic acid
- polyunsaturated
- prostaglandin
- quinone
- ricinoleic acid
- saturated
- sorbic acid
- sphingosine
- sterol
- stilbene
- styrene
- synthetic rubber
- terpene
- terpineol
- tiglic acid