curdle

[kur-dl]

verb (used with or without object)

curdled, curdling 

1. to change into curd; coagulate; congeal.

2. to spoil; turn sour.

3. to go wrong; turn bad or fail.

   Their friendship began to curdle as soon as they became business rivals.

curdle

/ ˈkɜːdəl /

verb

1. to turn or cause to turn into curd

2. to fill someone with fear

Other Word Forms

• curdler noun
• noncurdling adjective
• uncurdled adjective
• uncurdling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of curdle¹

First recorded in 1580–90; curd + -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of curdle¹

C16 ( crudled, past participle): from _curd

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. curdle the / one's blood, to fill a person with horror or fear; terrify.

   a scream that curdled the blood.

Example Sentences

But what the screenplay lacks in depth, the film makes up for in visual pageantry, packing just enough style to rise above a truly curdled genre offering.

From Salon

The occasional times West spoke directly about the film were often in shorthand, referencing movies like “The Aviator” and “There Will Be Blood,” portraits of men whose genius curdles into obsession and madness.

From Los Angeles Times

What starts as a nostalgic reconnection over drinks between two men who once chased the same dream quickly curdles, as Timothy’s long-simmering resentment boils over, erupting in bitterness and violence.

From Los Angeles Times

Suede quickly dissociated from Britpop when it curdled into something the band couldn’t recognize; something that, to the group, resembled a kind of jingoism.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a perfect place and time for a novelist looking to establish a tense atmosphere: The dreamy, free-love atmosphere slowly curdled into hard drugs and the Manson murders.

From Los Angeles Times