stearic

American  

[stee-ar-ik, steer-ik] / stiˈær ɪk, ˈstɪər ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to suet or fat.

2. of or derived from stearic acid.

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stearic British  

/ stɪˈærɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to suet or fat

2. of, consisting of, containing, or derived from stearic acid

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Etymology

Origin of stearic

First recorded in 1825–35; stear- + -ic

Example Sentences

Each participant followed two separate six-week diets that included muffins and spreads made with either palmitic acid-rich fats or stearic acid-rich fats.

From Science Daily • Oct. 28, 2025

Dryer sheets don’t magically make clothes inherently softer, they make them feel softer by coating them with a softening agent, like stearic acid.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2023

Dark chocolate is higher in fat than milk chocolate, but much of it is a combination of the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind and stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that doesn’t raise cholesterol.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2022

Palmitic and stearic acids are saturated acids that contain no double or triple bonds.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

These latter acids are usually separated by distillation, combined with the press cake further purified and sold as stearic acid.

From Soap-Making Manual A Practical Handbook on the Raw Materials, Their Manipulation, Analysis and Control in the Modern Soap Plant. by Thomssen, E. G.