searing

adjective

sear·​ing ˈsir-iŋ How to pronounce searing (audio)
1
: very hot
2
: marked by extreme intensity, harshness, or emotional power
searing pain
a searing review
a searing portrayal
searingly adverb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Set in 2019 Los Angeles, Akil’s update paints a searing portrait of the issues faced by teenagers today, exploring the social media age and how, via the race-swapping of the leads, Black kids come of age in white America. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 8 May 2025 As one more analogous reference, the need to manage hows reminds me of great literature, in particular, Viktor Frankl’s searing memoir Man’s Search For Meaning. Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 That includes some searing experiences with the corruption that sustains the drug trade, and a conviction that the United States cannot successfully fight the traffickers without also taking on the officials who abet their operations. Tim Golden, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2025 Pritzker — who was rumored to be on the shortlist to be former Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate last year — issued a searing rebuke of the Trump administration, in his address. Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for searing

Word History

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of searing was in 1678

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Cite this Entry

“Searing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/searing. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

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