Water-induced degradations of TiO2-based ceramic capacitors in the presence of dc and ac voltages are reported in this paper. Atomic hydrogen generated by electrolysis of water using dc voltages reduced TiO2-based ceramics at ambient temperature. The resulting degradation was characterized by an increase in capacitance, a large dielectric loss and a dramatic decrease in insulation resistance. Hydrogen and oxygen generated by the electrolysis of water using ac voltages reacted with TiO2-based ceramics. The resulting degradation was characterized by a decrease in capacitance, a large dielectric loss, but no noticeable changes in insulation resistance. Water played a vital role in both dc and ac degradations of TiO2-based capacitors and an effort should be made to prevent water-induced degradations. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.