IMPREGNATE Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'impregnate' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of impregnate are drench , saturate , soak , and steep . While all these words mean "to permeate or be permeated with a liquid," impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another. // a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

Q: When could 'drench' be used to replace 'impregnate'?

While in some cases nearly identical to impregnate , drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured. // clothes drenched by a cloudburst

Q: When might 'saturate' be a better fit than 'impregnate'?

The words saturate and impregnate can be used in similar contexts, but saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held. // a saturated sponge

Q: Where would 'soak' be a reasonable alternative to 'impregnate'?

While the synonyms soak and impregnate are close in meaning, soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing. // soak the garment in soapy water

Q: In what contexts can 'steep' take the place of 'impregnate'?

In some situations, the words steep and impregnate are roughly equivalent. However, steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed. // steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate

verb

im-ˈpreg-ˌnāt

Definition of impregnate

as in to soak

to wet thoroughly with liquid impregnated the cloth with furniture polish

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word impregnate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of impregnate are drench, saturate, soak, and steep. While all these words mean "to permeate or be permeated with a liquid," impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

When could drench be used to replace impregnate?

While in some cases nearly identical to impregnate, drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

When might saturate be a better fit than impregnate?

The words saturate and impregnate can be used in similar contexts, but saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

Where would soak be a reasonable alternative to impregnate?

While the synonyms soak and impregnate are close in meaning, soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

In what contexts can steep take the place of impregnate?

In some situations, the words steep and impregnate are roughly equivalent. However, steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of impregnate Clothing impregnated with permethrin is another option. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 June 2026 But Niall arguably commits the deepest betrayal by sleeping with Ruben’s fiancée, Mona (Amy Manson), impregnating her, and keeping that information from Ruben for years. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Brayanne Escobar-Guarnizo was sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping and impregnating a 12-year-old girl. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026 Some who go outside clearly met up with intact males, but many people who ‘rescue’ a couple of sibling kittens from someone giving them away, or keep a mama cat and son from a litter, find themselves with a female impregnated by a relative. — Jen Reeder, Forbes.com, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for impregnate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impregnate

Verb

Establishing the run — and stopping it — could decide the winner on a playing surface soaked from rain during the days leading up to UF’s homecoming.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Last winter destroyed thousands of tents in Gaza, soaking clothes, mattresses, and bedding, even as Save the Children reported that Israel was blocking critical aid such as tent poles, winter clothes, and blankets.

— Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of soak

Verb

Using sine wave generators and pink lighting so saturated it essentially blots out all other color and shadow, Young and Zazeela created a space that’s somehow both static and full of life.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
By many accounts, Glass is a friendly, obliging collaborator, and his music—fruitfully self-effacing, rarely complex enough to saturate or overwhelm the listener’s attention—behaves the same way.

— Matthew Aucoin, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of saturate

Verb

Workers and employers are drowning in their health insurance premiums.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
And three, sometimes four, of those many waking hours are spent in the car — bouncing from home to school to her second or third job and home again — with music at full blast to drown out the babble of anxiety, most of it financial.

— Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of drown

Verb

Isaias’ bands could drench Florida’s Panhandle and Big Bend with as much as 15 inches of rain, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

— Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
But so far, only five changes have been made for original Week 8 games in the Orlando area — despite heavy rain that has drenched fields.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of drench

Verb

Each was individually macerated to determine specific extraction times.

— Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
This flexible recipe works with almost any ripe berry—strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or a mix—and uses an easy cold-process method that lets the berries macerate with sugar before the vinegar is added.

— Christina Chaey, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 July 2026

Definition of macerate

Cite this Entry

Style

“Impregnate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impregnate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of impregnate

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes