Which term refers to a solution where water is the solvent?

An aqueous solution is specifically defined as a solution in which water is the solvent. This term is widely used in chemistry to emphasize that water plays a key role in dissolving a solute, whether that solute is a solid, liquid, or gas. In many chemical reactions and processes, the solubility of a substance is highly dependent on the properties of water and how it interacts with different solutes.

In contrast, a non-aqueous solution uses a solvent other than water, concentrated solutions contain a large amount of solute relative to the amount of solvent, and dilute solutions have a small amount of solute compared to the solvent. While concentrated and dilute solutions describe the relative amounts of solute and solvent, they do not specify the solvent being used, which is critical to defining an aqueous solution. Therefore, the term "aqueous solution" uniquely identifies the role of water as the solvent in the solution.