Standard Lemma guide

watertight

adj · 4 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: /ˈwɔː.tə.taɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwɑː.tɚ.taɪt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwɔː.tɚ.taɪt/
  • CMU ARPABET: W AO1 T ER0 T AY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

So tightly made that water cannot enter or escape.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: waterfast, waterproof, impervious, impermeable

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

So devised or planned as to be impossible to defeat, evade or nullify.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • a watertight alibi
  • a watertight contract
  • a watertight regulation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

without flaws or loopholes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an ironclad contract
  • a watertight alibi
  • a bulletproof argument

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unassailable, unshakable, bulletproof

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

not allowing water to pass in or out

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From water + tight. Compare Scots wattirticht (“watertight”), West Frisian wetterticht (“waterproof”), Dutch waterdicht (“waterproof, watertight”), German wasserdicht (“watertight, waterproof”), Danish vandtæt (“watertight”), Swedish vattentät (“watertight, waterproof”).

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: воданепраніка́льны (vodanjepranikálʹny) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Belarusian: герметы́чны (hjermjetýčny) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Bulgarian: херметичен (hermetičen) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Bulgarian: водонепроницаем (vodonepronicaem) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Catalan: estanc — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Chinese Mandarin: 水密的 (shuǐmì de) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Chinese Mandarin: 防水的 (fángshuǐ de) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Czech: vodotěsný — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Danish: vandtæt — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Dutch: waterdicht — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Finnish: vedenpitävä — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Finnish: vesitiivis — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • French: étanche — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Galician: estanco — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • German: wasserdicht — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Greek: στεγανός (steganós) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Greek: υδατοστεγής (ydatostegís) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Ancient Greek: στεγανός (steganós) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Hungarian: vízhatlan — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Irish: uisce-obach — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Irish: uiscedhíonach — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Italian: a tenuta stagna — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Italian: impermeabile — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Japanese: 水を通さない (mizu o tōsanai) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Japanese: 水密の (suimitsu no) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Luxembourgish: waasserdicht — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Māori: pihi — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Māori: whakapiri — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vanntett — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vasstett — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vasstett — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Polish: wodoszczelny — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Polish: nieprzemakalny — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Portuguese: impermeável — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Russian: водонепроница́емый (vodonepronicájemyj) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Russian: гермети́чный (germetíčnyj) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Russian: непромока́емый (nepromokájemyj) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Serbo-Croatian: водонепропусан — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Serbo-Croatian: vodonepropusan — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Spanish: hermético — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Spanish: estanco — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Swedish: vattentät — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Ukrainian: водонепроникни́й (vodonepronyknýj) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Ukrainian: гермети́чний (hermetýčnyj) — so tightly made that water cannot enter or escape
  • Bulgarian: неопровержим (neoproveržim) — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Bulgarian: железен (železen) — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Finnish: vedenpitävä — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Finnish: aukoton — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • German: wasserdicht — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Polish: niezbity — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Polish: niepodważalny — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Polish: niekwestionowany — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Russian: непробива́емый (neprobivájemyj) — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Spanish: sin fisuras — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
  • Spanish: a toda prueba — impossible to defeat, evade or nullify
Real reading context

watertight in complete knowledge articles