1
as in boiling
having a notably high temperature
in our air-conditioned office, we were oblivious to the searing heat outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harsh
difficult to endure
the undersecretary looked chastened as he listened to the congressman's searing rebuke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in drying
to make dry
the clear desert air is seared by the summer sun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of searing
Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Last year, Love penned a searing op-ed in The Guardian about the lack of female artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2025
If Demi Moore wasn’t going to win for her career-reviving performance in the horror satire The Substance, then surely British voters would reward Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her searing depiction of depression in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2025
This archetype of the evil, power-craving advisor who outmaneuvers their boss manifests in Shakespeare's searing portrait of Iago, the villainous lieutenant to Othello who leads him to doom.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for searing
Adjective
Every actor’s Hamlet is theirs and theirs alone, and Olivier’s is big and hammy and searing and often quite devastating.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Last year, Love penned a searing op-ed in The Guardian about the lack of female artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2025
If Demi Moore wasn’t going to win for her career-reviving performance in the horror satire The Substance, then surely British voters would reward Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her searing depiction of depression in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2025
This archetype of the evil, power-craving advisor who outmaneuvers their boss manifests in Shakespeare's searing portrait of Iago, the villainous lieutenant to Othello who leads him to doom.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for searing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for searing
Adjective
-
One idea is that about a million years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled and underwent a phase transition, an event similar to how boiling water turns liquid into gas.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Scientific American,
3 Mar. 2020
-
If candy is still stuck on, pour more boiling water over whatever hasn’t come clean.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
3 Dec. 2019
Adjective
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Donald Trump defended his harsh new tariffs on Saturday Night Live this week — and maybe took a swipe at last week’s musical guest, too.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
5 Apr. 2025
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Never one for details, Trump is now clearly linking the harsh 54% tariffs imposed on China on Tuesday to a TikTok deal.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Ben Johnson has a ‘burning desire’ to be a head coach.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2025
-
For answers to more burning questions about Season 2, plus Season 3 clues (including which Season 1 character will be coming back), read Deadline’s interview with The Night Agent showrunner Shawn Ryan.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fared better than the S & P 500 in a brutal week as investors embraced the safety of a cash-rich conglomerate while President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs wreaked havoc on Wall Street.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2025
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With six games remaining in the regular season — and five of them coming in a brutal seven-day span — the Knicks are suddenly getting healthy at a time when workload management becomes a daily dilemma.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Stray animals are also at risk of suffering from heat exhaustion during scorching summers.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
Newsweek,
2 Jan. 2025
-
Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching the milk.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Some bees can remember experiencing high heat and weigh this against the reward of sugar when it’s offered in hot containers.—
Bob Fischer,
The Conversation,
4 Apr. 2025
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The script, from first-time feature writer Nora Garrett, was a hot property among readers in recent years.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Plan Your Trip Charleston, South Carolina The Holy City may be blanketed in humidity in the height of summer, but Charlestonians have figured out all the best ways to deal with the oppressive air.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2025
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In its first season, Andor was cinematic, grown-up, grounded, and urgent, running bold choices or ideas, like deftly examining how oppressive administrations exert their political power.—
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.,
Refinery29,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Much like oil and gas, geothermal energy, which harnesses the planet’s molten core to make steam, had long been confined to the places where access came easy—the American West, where Yellowstone’s famous geysers hint at the heat below, or volcanic Iceland.—
Alexander C. Kaufman,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2025
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That’s the subtle magnetic force — generated by the planet’s molten metal core — that surrounds Earth, not unlike the force around a bar magnet.—
Benji Jones,
Vox,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Searing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/searing. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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