A hydrophilic, high molecular weight nonionic polyurethane, characterized by solubility in water and by a specific viscosity of at least 0.4 (1% by weight solution at 20° C.) is provided. Examples of such polyurethanes are those characterized by the following structural units: a) —O(—CH2—CH2—O)n—, where n=8 to 500, and b) —CO—NH—X—NH—CO—, where X is an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic radical. Also provided are methods of using the polyurethane as an adhesive, more particularly a hotmelt adhesive or a solvent-based adhesive, for example a wallpaper adhesive and labelling adhesive, of using polyurethane as a stabilizer in the emulsion polymerization of, in particular, vinyl acetate and vinyl chloride and in the copolymerization of ethylene and vinyl acetate, and of using the polyurethane as a thickener for aqueous systems, more particularly together with nonionic surfactants.