Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to congeal

to congeal

11 6.6
To become thick and semi-solid like jelly when it cools
  • verb
  • /kənˈdʒiːl/
translation icon : cuajar
  • The soup began to congeal as it cooled on the counter.
  • congealed form

So two days gives it all time to congeal so that you get Taco Bell in every bite.

Examples

  • Such chambers on Earth, once congealed and unroofed by erosion, are called plutons.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The right hand of a black man was lying in a puddle of congealed blood just outside the gate.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The air around me seemed to congeal, and objects seemed to slow.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • At the same time the air congealed, it also began to smell different.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The Earth only existed in the form of stardust that would later congeal into the planet.

    The Genesis Code (2010)

  • How the heat stopped, the blood congealed, and prickles ran over the skin under the dinner jacket.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • My broken nose was filled with congealing blood, and I couldn't breathe.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Magma poured out through a vent and congealed in place.

    Fracture (2025)

  • Stars congealed into galaxies.

    2001: A Space Travesty (2000)

  • An amber rill has flowed down a crevice and congealed on a knee above the base.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

to set
vsto congeal
125 3.8

To become firm, often by cooling

focuses on forming firmness rather than specifically forming gelatinous texture
to solidify
vsto congeal
55 4.4

To change from a liquid or gas into a hard state as it cools

is narrower, meaning thicken to semi solid or gelatinous rather than full solidity
to coagulate
vsto congeal
  • Specialized
8 7.7

To make a liquid become thick or solid

often happens by cooling and can produce a gelatinous semi solid
to jell
vsto congeal
2 5.8

Change into a thick, firm jelly when it cools

is broader, becoming thick or semi solid often by cooling rather than full jelly
to gel
vsto congeal
  • Specialized
1 4.1

To change from a liquid to a thick jelly

often implies thickening by cooling into a semi solid, not just general setting
to gelatinize
vsto congeal
  • Specialized
1 7.6

To make something turn soft and jelly-like when heated

is broader, meaning thickens or semi solidifies by cooling or setting

Antonyms

to liquefy
  • Specialized
18 4.4

To change a solid or gas into a liquid, often by heating

How Solid

to freeze
770 1.0
to solidify
55 4.4
to congeal
11 6.6
to gel
  • Specialized
1 4.1
to thicken
35 2.3
to flow
333 1.0

Surface Forms

congeal infinitive
congealed past
congealed past participle
congealing present participle
congeals third person singular

Morphology

congeal = gel (semi-transparent) = con + gel + con

The relation to the familiar verb 'gel' helps infer the meaning, but 'con-' is a borrowed/intensive element and the word is historically a loan, so the derivation is not fully transparent to average learners.

Etymology

Congeal comes from the parts con- meaning 'together' and gelare meaning 'to freeze'. Think of the simple word gel and imagine a liquid 'freezing together' into a jelly-like or partly solid form, which is why congeal means to become thick or partly solid.