congeal
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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to change from a soft or fluid state to a rigid or solid state, as by cooling or freezing.
The fat congealed on the top of the soup.
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to curdle; coagulate, as a fluid.
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to make or become fixed, as ideas, sentiments, or principles.
Some philosophic systems lost their vitality and congealed.
verb
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to change or cause to change from a soft or fluid state to a firm or solid state
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to form or cause to form into a coagulated mass; curdle; jell
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(intr) (of ideas) to take shape or become fixed in form
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of congeal
1350–1400; Middle English congelen (< Middle French congeler ) < Latin congelāre, equivalent to con- con- + gelāre to freeze; see gelid
Explanation
Congeal means to jell — to solidify or become gelatinous. Sounds gross? But wiggly Jell-O is actually congealed liquid, so it can't be that bad, right? This word comes to us from the Old French word congeler, which means "to freeze." So when something congeals it goes from liquid to solid form, almost like freezing. No one usually likes congealed anything — whether it's chunkified old soup in the fridge or dried blood on a wound. See? Pretty gross. Jell-O is about as good as congealed gets!
Vocabulary lists containing congeal
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
Aim for dishes that still taste perfectly fine when eaten lukewarm, that don’t seize up or congeal the moment they cool.
From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026
"So they stay in one piece, and they gather together with fat, oil, and grease from kitchens, congeal and create a fatberg which causes flooding."
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025
Yet, Pitt can’t resist quirking up the character in ways that don’t totally congeal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025
“They kind of take the randomness and they congeal it back into the volume. That’s the way of going from randomness to content. And that’s how you can make random videos.”
From Seattle Times • Mar. 4, 2024
As the water on the surface cools, it begins to condense, and individual ice crystals act as seeds, causing the water to congeal around them, squeezing the salt out into the water below.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
