Meaning & use

scorching

adjective·Everyday

Extremely hot, or, figuratively, very intense, fast, or harshly critical.

See it in a sentence

We stayed indoors during the scorching afternoon heat rather than risk sunstroke.

The critic wrote a scorching review that accused the film of wasting its talented cast.

A note on using this word

Used literally for heat and figuratively for intensity, as in a "scorching pace" or a "scorching critique."

Words with a similar meaning

blisteringsearing

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “scorching”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.