curdle

The light didn’t fade so much as curdle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

A practicing Mormon, Coppins had no previous experience with gambling but quickly learned how easily the “joyful naivete” of his initial use “could curdle into delusion and compulsion.”

From Slate ● May 5, 2026

As co-written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, the reunion between the two former acting buddies starts warm but quickly begins to curdle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025

You must go slowly so cream does not curdle.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2023

His voice, the one that used to make me melt, sounded like it could curdle cream.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

Euphoria curdles into frustration as she drops her head into her hand, the realization sinking in that the finals are now out of reach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

There may be an undercurrent of gossip, like the hints of discord between Affleck and Leavitt, but nothing that curdles our mood.

From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025

I’ve seen it over and over in my practice: A gesture that is initially received with intense gratitude curdles into hurt or anger.

From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2025

But the sweetness curdles when Peter learns that Nicholas, who lives with Kate in Brooklyn, has been acting volatile and would prefer to move in with him.

From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2022

You have read this strange and terrific story, Margaret; and do you not feel your blood congeal with horror, like that which even now curdles mine?

From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

When Megan asked, "Whose first concert is this?" the air curdled with screams.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

As Mrie recounts, Syrian democratic idealism curdled over time into infighting and worse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026

Sharon would soon suffer a devastating stroke, but his Gaza policy survived and curdled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

Even as investor sentiment has curdled, TD Cowen believes a sustained appetite for data-center spending could cause Vertiv’s customer orders to accelerate as soon as the fourth quarter.

From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025

During the freeze, the chemicals had separated and the once-smooth liquid was as lumpy and runny as curdled milk.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

“Admiration was quickly curdling into hostility,” he writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

He returned to a hometown that seemed to be developing under that same American planning influence whose reputation was curdling up north.

From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2024

The tagline — “What a guy! What a lug! What a hero! What a bum!” — illustrates the tentative truce between fans and umpires that is always, inevitably, one call from curdling.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

Technology, nostalgia and the often-inflated value of brands and IP have created a nightmarish cycle of resurrection and regurgitation, curdling what we love most.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 27, 2023

I indulged in my self-pity, the nastiness inside me curdling like putrid milk.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam