searing

adjective

sear·​ing ˈsir-iŋ 

1

: very hot

2

: marked by extreme intensity, harshness, or emotional power

searing pain

a searing review

a searing portrayal

searingly adverb

Synonyms

• ardent
• boiling
• broiling
• burning
• fervent
• fervid
• fiery
• hot
• piping hot
• red
• red-hot
• roasting
• scalding
• scorching
• sultry
• superheated
• sweltering
• torrid
• ultrahot
• white-hot

Examples of searing in a Sentence

the searing heat of the fire

She felt a searing pain in her foot.

She made a searing attack on her political enemies.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Brutalist is a Fitzcarraldo fable of artistic endeavor, a universal immigrant tale and a searing indictment of capitalism Jones plays opposite Brody as Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet, in an indelible portrait of a woman physically broken by war who remains resolutely unbroken in spirit. —Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2025

The nearly three-hour podcast was a perfect storm of virality: comedy, conspiracy, and searing insult, leaving the internet in tatters. —Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024

Serving as both translator and witness, Ramin recounted the searing impact of the six-week war in 2020. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

There are no searing indictments of political injustice this time from the erstwhile leftist-rock vanguard of the aughts. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1