hydrogel

American

[hahy-druh-jel] / ˈhaɪ drəˌdʒɛl /

noun

a gel whose liquid constituent is water.

hydrogel British

/ ˈhaɪdrəˌdʒɛl /

noun

a gel in which the liquid constituent is water

"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

Etymology

Origin of hydrogel

First recorded in 1890–95; hydro- ¹ + gel

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.

In their experiments, the researchers produced highly detailed hydrogel structures modeled on real bone.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

To demonstrate the effect, the team encoded an image of the Mona Lisa into the hydrogel film.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2026

By encoding these digital patterns within the hydrogel, the researchers can program how the smart skin reacts to different stimuli.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2026

Researchers at McGill University have developed a new hydrogel that may one day help people recover from vocal cord injuries.

From Science Daily • Jan. 2, 2026

It is certain, however, that the gelatinous material which readily separates from such solutions is of the nature of a hydrogel, that is, a colloid which is insoluble in water.

From An Introductory Course of Quantitative Chemical Analysis With Explanatory Notes by Talbot, Henry P.

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