congeal

American  

[kuhn-jeel] / kənˈdʒil /

verb (used with or without object)

• congeals,
  present (3rd person singular)
• congealed,
  past participle,  past
• congealing
  present participle

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   solidify, jell, set, harden

2. to curdle; coagulate, as a fluid.

3. to make or become fixed, as ideas, sentiments, or principles.

   Some philosophic systems lost their vitality and congealed.

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congeal British  

/ kənˈdʒiːl /

verb

1. to change or cause to change from a soft or fluid state to a firm or solid state

2. to form or cause to form into a coagulated mass; curdle; jell

3. (intr) (of ideas) to take shape or become fixed in form

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• congealability
  noun
• congealableness
  noun
• congealedness
  noun
• congealer
  noun
• congealment
  noun
• uncongeal
  verb (used without object)
• congealable
  adjective
• half-congealed
  adjective
• noncongealing
  adjective
• uncongealable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• congealing
  present
• congealed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• congeal
  simple
• congeals
  simple
• have congealed
  perfect
• has congealed
  perfect
• am congealing
  progressive
• are congealing
  progressive
• is congealing
  progressive
• have been congealing
  perfect progressive
• has been congealing
  perfect progressive

Past

• congealed
  simple
• had congealed
  perfect
• was congealing
  progressive
• were congealing
  progressive
• had been congealing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will congeal
  simple
• will have congealed
  perfect
• will be congealing
  progressive
• will have been congealing
  perfect progressive

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

congeal congeals congealed congealing

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

Plastic wipes don't disintegrate when flushed down the toilet, so when oil and fat congeal on them, so-called fatbergs form in sewers, which water companies say cost them £200m a year to clear.

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

You have read this strange and terrific story, Margaret; and do you not feel your blood congeal with horror, like that which even now curdles mine?

From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

By episode 2, it congeals into something like a coherent picture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

Food is an organic compound: it congeals, runs, discolors and oxidizes over time and because of the conditions in the kitchen you’re shooting in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

“After awhile it all congeals and you start losing history,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2023

To save money they might turn machines off when they are empty - meaning any residue goes bad or congeals in the system.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2021

The blood congeals into a long, red terrycloth rectangle.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

The queso started fine but eventually congealed into something that approximated lukewarm paste.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

During a seven-nation polar exercise in Canada earlier this year to test equipment worth millions of dollars, the U.S. military’s all-terrain arctic vehicles broke down after 30 minutes because hydraulic fluids congealed in the cold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025

Other sounds, be it his wife popping chewing gum or a neighbour's dog barking, and some smells, such as congealed fat or grease, and sights such as fluorescent lights, have always made him very uncomfortable.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024

Jonathan Zaback wrote on a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that included an image of a congealed, hard-to-identify entree.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2023

Over the years life on Orchard Street passed with a tedium that eventually congealed into comfort.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

And multiple stacks of pizza boxes, their cooling, congealing slices triggering Logan into one of the mini-tirades his character is famous for.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2023

The Reyes memorial service, and the eulogists’ stories, crystallized a thought that had been congealing around the reporting: So much is unknown.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2022

Marine snow is anything but stable; as flakes free-fall into the abyss, they are constantly congealing and falling apart, rent by waves or predators.

From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2022

As the virus spreads, the many discrete problems that it has exposed in earlier stages of the pandemic are now congealing into one epic challenge.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 8, 2020

A plate covered in congealing chicken wing bones sat on his lap.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Related Words

• curdle
• thicken