colloidal

American

[kuh-loid-l] / kəˈlɔɪd l /

adjective

Physical Chemistry.

pertaining to or of the nature of a colloid.

colloidal gold and silver.

colloidal British

/ ˌkɒˈlɔɪdəl /

adjective

of, denoting, or having the character of a colloid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of colloidal

First recorded in 1860–65; colloid + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

colloidal

They can determine where crystallization occurs, reshape and "sculpt" the structures, and enhance their uniformity and size to create larger and more intricate colloidal assemblies.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026

The researchers introduced light sensitive molecules known as photoacids into a liquid containing colloidal particles.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026

Physicists at Leipzig University have now created a type of neural network that works not with electricity but with so-called active colloidal particles.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2024

Thanks to the docuseries, colloidal silver has materialized in popular culture once again, but it’s not the first time.

From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2024

He proved that a colloidal substance acts towards a crystalloid much as water does; that the crystalloid rapidly diffuses through the colloid, but that colloids are not themselves capable of diffusing through other colloids.

From Heroes of Science Chemists by M. M. Pattison (Matthew Moncrieff Pattison) Muir

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023