hydrophobic

[hahy-druh-foh-bik] /ˌhaɪ drəˈfoʊ bɪk/

adjective

of or pertaining to hydrophobia.

Chemistry. having little or no affinity for water.

Compare oleophilic.

Origin

1640-50; hydrophobe + -ic

Related forms

hydrophobicity

[hahy-druh-foh-bis-i-tee] /ˌhaɪ drə foʊˈbɪs ɪ ti/ (Show IPA), noun

nonhydrophobic, adjective

Examples from the web for hydrophobic

Whether particulates in a mix are hydrophobic or hydrophilic, adding water can thicken the mix.
As a saturated fatty acid, chocolate is also hydrophobic.
The shell repels water with a breathable hydrophobic polymer, while the recycled pile lining wicks away moisture and sweat.
The article is a powerful and a cunning one, though weakened by hydrophobic symptoms, here and there.
Lipids will form in a structure to protect their hydrophobic tails from water, which may form a membrane.
Other hydrophobic structures have typically been made from organic materials.
But the paper is treated with a hydrophobic polymer, which directs the liquid along prescribed channels.
As you add more fluid, the droplets bulge out at the edge of the grooves because of the surrounding hydrophobic area.
At either end of the backbone is a hydrophobic sequence.
The more hydrophobic a substance is, the higher the contact angle and the more spherical the water bead.

British Dictionary definitions for hydrophobic

/ˌhaɪdrəˈfəʊbɪk/

adjective

of or relating to hydrophobia

(chem) tending not to dissolve in, mix with, or be wetted by water: a hydrophobic colloid Compare hydrophilic

Word Origin and History for hydrophobic

adj.

1807, from hydrophobia + -ic.

hydrophobic in Medicine

hydrophobic hy·dro·pho·bic (hī'drə-fō'bĭk, -fŏb'ĭk)
adj.