Standard Lemma guide

solvent

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɒlvənt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈsɔlvənt/ without the cot–caught merger
  • General-American, cot-caught-merger, dialectal: /ˈsɑlvənt/ of Canada
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˈsɒlvənt/ of the US
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈsɔlvənt/
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈsɒlvənt/
  • CMU ARPABET: S AA1 L V AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Able to pay all debts as they become due, and having no more liabilities than assets.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: business, finance

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: above water, in the black

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: above water, in the black

Antonyms: insolvent, in the red

2

adj

Meaning 2

Having the power of dissolving; causing solution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dissolvent

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A fluid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Holonym: solution

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dissolver

Antonyms: solute

4

noun

Meaning 4

That which resolves.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: resolver, solver, problemsolver

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

capable of meeting financial obligations

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: insolvent

6

noun

Meaning 6

a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they were trying to find a peaceful solution
  • the answers were in the back of the book
  • he computed the result to four decimal places

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: solution, answer, result, resolution

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: statement

Narrower terms: denouement

7

noun

Meaning 7

a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the solvent does not change its state in forming a solution

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dissolvent, dissolver, dissolving agent, resolvent

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: medium

Narrower terms: acetone, propanone, dimethyl ketone, chlorobenzene, carbolic acid, phenol, hydroxybenzene, oxybenzene, phenylic acid, carbon tetrachloride, carbon tet, tetrachloromethane, perchloromethane, hexane, menstruum, naphtha, remover, alkahest, alcahest, universal solvent, toluene, methylbenzene, xylene, xylol

History

Etymology

From French solvent, from Latin solventem, accusative singular of solvens, present participle of solvō. By surface analysis, solv(e) + -ent.

Across languages

Translations

74 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: kaudimendun — able to pay all debts
  • Belarusian: плацежаздо́льны (placježazdólʹny) — able to pay all debts
  • Bulgarian: платежоспосо́бен (platežosposóben) — able to pay all debts
  • Czech: solventní — able to pay all debts
  • Esperanto: solventa — able to pay all debts
  • Finnish: maksukykyinen — able to pay all debts
  • Finnish: vakavarainen — able to pay all debts
  • French: solvable — able to pay all debts
  • German: solvent — able to pay all debts
  • German: zahlungsfähig — able to pay all debts
  • German: liquid — able to pay all debts
  • German: flüssig — able to pay all debts
  • Greek: διαλυτικός (dialytikós) — able to pay all debts
  • Hungarian: fizetőképes — able to pay all debts
  • Hungarian: tőkeerős — able to pay all debts
  • Italian: solvibile — able to pay all debts
  • Polish: wypłacalny — able to pay all debts
  • Portuguese: solvente — able to pay all debts
  • Romanian: solvabil — able to pay all debts
  • Russian: платёжеспосо́бный (platjožesposóbnyj) — able to pay all debts
  • Spanish: solvente — able to pay all debts
  • Swedish: solvent — able to pay all debts
  • Ukrainian: платоспромо́жний (platospromóžnyj) — able to pay all debts
  • Afrikaans: oplosmiddel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Basque: disolbatzaile — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Belarusian: рашчы́ньнік (raščýnʹnik) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Belarusian: раствара́льнік (rastvarálʹnik) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Bulgarian: разтвори́тел (raztvorítel) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Catalan: dissolvent — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Catalan: solvent — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Chinese Cantonese: 溶劑 /溶剂 (jung4 zai1) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Chinese Mandarin: 溶劑 /溶剂 (róngjì) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Danish: opløsningsmiddel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Dutch: oplosmiddel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Finnish: liuotin — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • French: solvant — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • German: Lösemittel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • German: Lösungsmittel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • German: Solvens — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Greek: διαλύτης (dialýtis) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Hawaiian: ʻūheheʻe — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Hungarian: oldószer — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Italian: solvente — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Japanese: 溶媒 (yōbai) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Japanese: 溶剤 (yōzai) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Korean: 용매 (yongmae) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Northern Kurdish: tîwêner — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Northern Kurdish: madeya tîwêner — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Latvian: šķīdinātājs — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Malayalam: ലായകം (lāyakaṁ) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Māori: tāmeha — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Māori: waimemeha — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Norwegian: løysemiddel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Norwegian: solvent — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Norwegian Bokmål: løsemiddel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Norwegian Bokmål: løsningsmiddel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: løysingsmiddel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Persian: حلال (hallāl) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Persian: حلکننده (halkonande) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Polish: rozpuszczalnik — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Portuguese: solvente — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Romanian: solvent — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Romanian: dizolvant — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Russian: раствори́тель (rastvorítelʹ) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Serbo-Croatian: otapalo — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Serbo-Croatian: rastvarač — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Spanish: disolvente — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Swedish: lösningsmedel — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Tagalog: panlusaw — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Thai: สารละลาย (sǎan-lá-laai) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Turkish: çözücü — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Ukrainian: розчи́нник (rozčýnnyk) — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Vietnamese: dung môi — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute
  • Welsh: hydoddydd — liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute