colloidal

American  

[kuh-loid-l] / kəˈlɔɪd l /

adjective

Physical Chemistry.

1. pertaining to or of the nature of a colloid.

   colloidal gold and silver.

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colloidal British  

/ ˌkɒˈlɔɪdəl, ˌkɒlɔɪˈdælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or having the character of a colloid

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Other Word Forms

• colloidality noun
• colloidally adverb
• noncolloidal adjective
• semicolloidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of colloidal

First recorded in 1860–65; colloid + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Light programmable colloidal crystals may eventually enable reconfigurable optical coatings, adaptive sensors, and next generation display and data storage technologies, where patterns and functions are defined dynamically by illumination rather than fixed during manufacturing.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026

Such colloidal particles -- small solid particles suspended in a fluid phase -- can be seen as an excellent way to measure and also manipulate the motion of the living cells' membrane.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024

The research demonstrates the ability to engineer large, space-filling colloidal crystals using simple geometric considerations.

From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2024

Before Paltrow, libertarians gravitated toward colloidal silver in the early aughts in part thanks to a man named Stan Jones, who also turned blue from ingesting too much colloidal silver.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2024

Suppose, for instance, that the molecules of a colloidal solution are aggregated into groups of ten.

From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane