1.
freezing, frozen state
The physical state of being frozen or the process of freezing.
道路が凍結している。
The road is frozen.
冬は路面凍結に注意してください。
Please be careful of icy roads in winter.
2.
freeze, suspension (figurative)
The temporary suspension or halting of activities, accounts, or negotiations.
口座が凍結された。
The account was frozen.
交渉は一時凍結された。
Negotiations were temporarily frozen.
凍結 means both physical freezing and figurative suspension.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 凍結する: to freeze (intransitive/transitive)
- 路面凍結: road icing
- 口座凍結: account freeze
- 資産凍結: asset freeze
- 賃金凍結: wage freeze
CONTRAST:
- 凍る: to freeze (general, intransitive)
- 凍結: freezing (formal, also used figuratively)