What does condensed mean?
Word: Condensed
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Condensed means made shorter by leaving out details, or made thicker by removing water; also used for a gas that has turned into liquid.
Synonyms: shortened, compressed, concentrated, abridged
Antonyms: expanded, diluted
Word origin: Comes through French from a Latin verb meaning 'to make very thick'.
How do you spell condensed?
Syllables: con - densed
Tricky part: The 's' sound in the middle is spelt s, not c. Students write condenced.
Watch out for: condenced, condensd, kondensed
Memory tip: Think of steam on a cold window turning to drops: s for steam, s in condensed, never c.
Condensed in a sentence
Example 1: The teacher gave us a condensed version of the whole chapter on one page.
Example 2: Drops of condensed steam ran down the bathroom mirror after my shower.
Example 3: Nani stirs a little condensed milk into the kheer to make it creamy.
Fun Fact
Gail Borden, an American inventor, received a patent for a way of making condensed milk in 1856; it kept for a long time without a fridge.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
On the long trek in Ladakh, the guide carried tins of condinsed milk because fresh milk would have spoilt within a day.
a) with much of its water boiled away
b) a person who shows the way to others
c) gone bad and no longer fit to drink
d) a long, hard walk lasting several days
Show answer
a) with much of its water boiled away. Condinsed has the wrong vowel; condensed is built on dense and here means made thicker by taking water out.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ed' pronounced differently?
a) fenced
b) condensed
c) landed
d) wished
Show answer
c) landed. In landed the ed is a separate 'id'; in condensed, fenced and wished it is a short t sound.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
123456789 oseecddnn
a) 518639247
b) 581639247
c) 518693247
d) 518639274
Show answer
a) 518639247. Start with the c in place 5 and the o in place 1, then follow the digits to the d at the end.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. condensed 2. elaborate 3. verbatim a. word for word b. full of careful detail c. cut down to the main points
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. A condensed text keeps only the main points, an elaborate one adds detail, and a verbatim copy repeats every word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A condensed version of a novel is best for a reader who ___.
a) wants every last detail
b) collects rare first editions
c) prefers much longer books
d) has little time to read
Show answer
d) has little time to read
2. The droplets on the outside of a glass of cold water come from ___.
a) water vapour in the air turning to liquid
b) dust in the room settling on the glass
c) sugar melting on the warm table top
d) ink running down from the paper label
Show answer
a) water vapour in the air turning to liquid
