thickened

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "thickened" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing a substance that has become denser or more viscous, often in cooking or scientific contexts. Example: "The sauce thickened as it simmered on the stove, creating a rich and creamy texture."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Simmer for 15 minutes, until most of the kidney beans have broken down and thickened the soup, and the spinners are cooked through.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Stir in the pimentón, tomatoes and wine and simmer for 5 minutes or until they have reduced and thickened into a sauce.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Add the coconut milk and palm sugar and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the peanuts and simmer until slightly thickened.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Simmer until the juice has thickened, then allow to cool. 2 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Roll out the leftover pastry scraps, and cut out discs of about 8-10cm in diameter.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

And the plot only thickened when I went in search of my favourite Jilly, Polo, where a female hand groping a male crotch seems to have been replaced in newer editions by some dirty knees.

The Guardian - Books

Scoop the mixture into a saucepan with the other ingredients and bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. 2 Cook for about an hour, stirring more frequently at the later stages, until the chilli jam has thickened and is a good colour.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

With Umno facing defeat for the first time since the British left, and with tens of millions of dollars in public contracts and patronage at stake, the plot has thickened in recent days in a sensational manner.

The Guardian - Opinion

The carcass is scrunched in the gleaming screw-press, and the blood-rich juices mixed with wine and cognac, thickened with the bird's liver and poured over thinly sliced breast (the legs come back grilled as the next course).

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Finally, on July 1st, the haze appeared at Baghdad and in the Altai mountains, according to a geologist, Ivan Michaelovich Renovantz, who reported unseasonable frosts in Central Asia.By then, back in Europe, the cloud had thickened.

The Economist

Though hundreds of smaller banks face extinction, big banks have thickened their buffers against loss by raising common equity.

The Economist

Even so, as the unkempt forests have thickened, wildfires that do occur have grown alarmingly in intensity, burning hotter, faster and more destructively.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a culinary process, use "thickened" to indicate that a sauce, soup, or other liquid has increased in viscosity due to cooking or the addition of a thickening agent.

Common error

Ensure that the tense of "thickened" is appropriate for the context. Use the past tense when describing a completed action and the present participle (thickening) when describing an ongoing process.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "thickened" is as the past participle of the verb "thicken". It is commonly used to describe a state or condition resulting from the process of becoming thicker, as seen in Ludwig's examples where soup, sauce or plots "thickened".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

31%

Encyclopedias

31%

Science

14%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "thickened" functions as the past participle of "thicken", primarily serving a descriptive purpose across various contexts. Ludwig's analysis shows that it's grammatically correct and frequently used in news, encyclopedias, and scientific publications. Although versatile, writers should be mindful of tense consistency and explore synonyms like "became dense" or "grew viscous" for nuanced expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

became dense

Focuses on the resultant density rather than the process.

grew viscous

Highlights the increase in viscosity.

became concentrated

Implies a reduction in volume and an increase in strength or density.

inspissated

A more formal and technical term for thickened.

solidified

Suggests a complete change of state to solid.

reduced

Implies that liquid has evaporated, leading to thickening.

congealed

Often used for fats or blood becoming solid.

set

Commonly used in cooking when a liquid becomes firm.

gelled

Describes the formation of a gel-like consistency.

clotted

Usually refers to blood or cream forming lumps.

FAQs

How is "thickened" used in a sentence?

"Thickened" is used to describe something that has become denser or more viscous. For example, "The sauce "thickened" as it simmered" or "The plot "thickened" with each new revelation".

What are some synonyms for "thickened"?

Alternatives to "thickened" include "became dense", "grew viscous", "became concentrated", or "solidified", depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "the sauce has thickened" or "the sauce thickened"?

Both are correct depending on the intended meaning. "The sauce has thickened" implies a present perfect action (it thickened at some point in the past and remains thickened now). "The sauce thickened" is simple past, indicating it thickened at a specific time in the past.

What is the difference between "thickened" and "thickening"?

"Thickened" is the past tense and past participle of "thicken", indicating a completed action. "Thickening" is the present participle, indicating an ongoing action or process. For instance, "The gravy has "thickened"" versus "The gravy is "thickening" as it simmers".