Coagulate

/koʊˈæɡ.jə.leɪt/ adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A mass formed by means of coagulation.
  • Grammar: coagulate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: adhere, agglomerate, agglutinate, agglutinated.
  • Useful contrasts: blood, centrifuge, dispersing.
  • Usage evidence: Lower down in the atmosphere, these aerosols bump into each other and coagulate, and at the same time interact with other, neutral particles.

How to use "coagulate"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "coagulate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "coagulate" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "coagulate" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "coagulate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "coagulate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "adhere" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "coagulate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A mass formed by means of coagulation.
Verb
  1. 1
    To become congealed; to convert from a liquid to a semisolid mass. intransitive

    "In cheese making, milk coagulates into curds that become cheese."

  2. 2
    change from a liquid to a thickened or solid state wordnet
  3. 3
    To cause to congeal. transitive

    "Rennet coagulates milk; heat coagulates the white of an egg."

  4. 4
    cause to change from a liquid to a solid or thickened state wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Coagulated. not-comparable, obsolete

    "roasted in wrath and fire, / And thus o'er-sized with coagulate gore,"

Adjective
  1. 1
    transformed from a liquid into a soft semisolid or solid mass wordnet

Example

"Lower down in the atmosphere, these aerosols bump into each other and coagulate, and at the same time interact with other, neutral particles."

Common questions

What does "coagulate" mean?

A mass formed by means of coagulation.

What is a synonym for "coagulate"?

Common synonyms include: adhere, agglomerate, agglutinate, agglutinated, agglutinates, agglutinating.

How do you use "coagulate" in a sentence?

Lower down in the atmosphere, these aerosols bump into each other and coagulate, and at the same time interact with other, neutral particles.

How do you pronounce "coagulate"?

Pronounced /koʊˈæɡ.jə.leɪt/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English coagulaten (“(of blood) to clot or, make blood coagulate; (of tissue) to consolidate”), from coagulat(e) (“coagulated; (blood) clotted; (milk) curdled; (humor) thickened, viscous; (material) solidified, cohesive; (wine) boiled down, reduced”, also used as the past participle of coagulaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin coāgulātus, the perfect passive participle of coāgulō (“to curdle, coagulate”), from coāgulum (“a means of curdling, rennet”), from cōgō (“bring together, gather, collect”) + -ulum (forms instrument nouns), from co- (“together”) + agō (“do, make, drive”). Doublet of quail. Displaced native Middle English irennen, from Old English ġerinnan, but not native curdle.

Etymology 2

From Middle English coagulat(e) (“coagulated; (blood) clotted; (milk) curdled; (humor) thickened, viscous; (material) solidified, cohesive; (wine) boiled down, reduced”), also used as the past participle of coagulaten and of coagulate in Early Modern English, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Etymology 3

From New Latin coāgulātum, substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of coāgulātus, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

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