freshwater

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈfrɛˌʃwɔtɜr/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Of, relating to, or living in water that is not salty, such as rivers, lakes, and streams.; Inexperienced or unskilled, especially in sailing or seafaring (informal/derogatory).
  2. noun
    Water that contains little or no dissolved salt, found in rivers, lakes, streams, and groundwater.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

freshwater fishfreshwater lakefreshwater ecosystemfreshwater speciesfreshwater habitatfreshwater aquarium

Synonyms

non-salinenon-marinefresh water

Antonyms

saltwatermarinebrackish

Commonly confused

fresh water
EN: 'Fresh water' (two words) is a noun phrase referring to the substance; 'freshwater' (one word) is an adjective modifying a noun (e.g., 'freshwater fish').

Spelling tips

EN: Use 'freshwater' (one word) as an adjective before a noun, but 'fresh water' (two words) when used as a noun phrase (e.g., 'a supply of fresh water' vs. 'a freshwater lake').

💬 Examples

  1. The lake is home to many species of freshwater fish, including trout and bass.

  2. The old captain dismissed the young sailor as a freshwater hand.

  3. Only about three percent of the Earth's water is freshwater.