Meaning & use
carbonation
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Meanings
noununcountable
The process of adding carbon dioxide gas to a liquid, or the bubbles and fizz this gas creates.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about the level or amount of carbonation, not 'a carbonation' or 'carbonations'.
Patterns
- the carbonation in something
- a high/low level of carbonation
- lose its carbonation
The carbonation in this sparkling water makes it taste sharp and refreshing.
Leave the bottle open and the carbonation will slowly disappear.
Brewers control the carbonation carefully so the beer is not too fizzy.
noununcountabletechnical
The amount of dissolved carbon dioxide in a drink, especially as a quality that can be measured or adjusted.
Grammar: Also uncountable; often used with words like high, low, natural or forced.
Patterns
- natural carbonation
- forced carbonation
- carbonation level
This traditional cider gets its natural carbonation from a second fermentation in the bottle.
The technician checked the carbonation level before the bottles were sealed.
Too much carbonation can make a drink feel harsh on the tongue.
Common combinations
- lose its carbonation
- If you leave the soda in a warm room, it will quickly lose its carbonation.
- high carbonation
- Some people love the high carbonation of Italian mineral water.
- natural carbonation
- Kombucha usually has natural carbonation from the fermentation process.
- carbonation level
- The carbonation level in the keg was lower than the brewery intended.
- a burst of carbonation
- A burst of carbonation hit my nose when I opened the can.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fizz
- Informal and focuses on the sound and feeling of bubbles; carbonation is the more precise, neutral word.
- effervescence
- More formal or literary, and can describe any liquid giving off bubbles, not only drinks with added carbon dioxide.
Opposites
Word family
- carbonate verb
- To add carbon dioxide to a drink or liquid.
- carbonated adjective
- Containing added carbon dioxide, as in carbonated drinks.
- carbon dioxide noun
- The gas that produces carbonation in drinks.
Commonly confused: carbonation or carbonization?
carbonation vs carbonization
Carbonization is a different process: turning a substance into carbon or a carbon-rich material by heating it, not adding bubbles to a drink.
Practice
Which sentence uses carbonation correctly?
Choose one answer.
Carbonation is an uncountable noun for the fizz or the process, so 'the carbonation in this lemonade' is correct. 'A carbonation' and 'carbonations' wrongly treat it as countable, and 'carbonation' is not a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carbonation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.