hypersaline
adjective
hy·per·sa·line
ˌhī-pər-ˈsā-ˌlēn 
-ˌlīn
variants
or less commonly hyper-saline
: highly saline
… they dwell in one of the world's harshest habitats—shallow hypersaline lakes. Few creatures can tolerate the unusual environments of these saline deserts.—
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay GouldSugar production is blamed for diverting freshwater flow through the Everglades and dumping excess nutrients. As a result, water flowing from the Everglades into Florida Bay and ultimately into the Keys, is hypersaline and prone to algal blooms.—Rodale's Scuba Diving
Rodale's Scuba Diving
hypersalinity
ˌhī-pər-sā-ˈli-nə-tē
noun
-sə-
or less commonly hyper-salinity
Fresh water flowing into the sea is trapped; with no outflow, the only way out is up. High evaporation rates in this hot, arid zone result in extreme hypersalinity.
—Batsheva Sobelman
Batsheva Sobelman
Examples of hypersaline in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In contrast to shallower hypersaline bodies in which precipitation and deposition occur during the dry season, in the Dead Sea salt formation occurs during the entire year.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Due to evaporation, some isolated bodies of water can become hypersaline, or extra salty.
—Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2023
Padre Island National Seashore also borders the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline lagoons in the world.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2023
The northern arm of the causeway is hypersalinity, or saturated with salt, and colored pink by the microorganisms that in the hypersaline water.
—Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 20 Dec. 2022
The desalination process, which typically includes the discharge of hypersaline brine back into the ocean, has been criticized for negatively affecting marine life near facilities, as well as high energy consumption.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022
Biochemical engineers Abdelrhman Mohamed and Haluk Beyenal, two of the study’s authors, had previously worked together to create instruments to study microbes in wastewater treatment systems, remote hypersaline lakes, and hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.
—Jennifer Clare Ball, Wired, 30 Sep. 2021
The hypersaline plume has also spread east, into Biscayne National Park.
—Nicolás Rivero, Quartz, 19 Dec. 2020
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David Bressan, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Due to evaporation, some isolated bodies of water can become hypersaline, or extra salty.
—Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2023
Padre Island National Seashore also borders the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline lagoons in the world.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2023
The northern arm of the causeway is hypersalinity, or saturated with salt, and colored pink by the microorganisms that in the hypersaline water.
—Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 20 Dec. 2022
The desalination process, which typically includes the discharge of hypersaline brine back into the ocean, has been criticized for negatively affecting marine life near facilities, as well as high energy consumption.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022
Biochemical engineers Abdelrhman Mohamed and Haluk Beyenal, two of the study’s authors, had previously worked together to create instruments to study microbes in wastewater treatment systems, remote hypersaline lakes, and hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.
—Jennifer Clare Ball, Wired, 30 Sep. 2021
The hypersaline plume has also spread east, into Biscayne National Park.
—Nicolás Rivero, Quartz, 19 Dec. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Hypersaline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypersaline. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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