surfactant

noun/sərˈfæktənt/

Frequency rank: #18,746 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

a substance that reduces surface tension between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid, allowing them to mix.

Illustration for the English word “surfactant”

Example sentence

The chemist added surfactant to the mixture to help water and oil blend together smoothly.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 18,701–18,800