burning

adjective

burn·​ing ˈbər-niŋ 

1

a

: being on fire

b

: ardent, intense

burning enthusiasm

2

a

: affecting with or as if with heat

a burning fever

b

: resembling that produced by a burn

a burning sensation on the tongue

3

: of fundamental importance : urgent

one of the burning issues of our time

burningly

ˈbər-niŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• ablaze
• afire
• aflame
• alight [chiefly British]
• blazing
• combusting
• conflagrant
• fiery
• flaming
• ignited
• inflamed
• enflamed
• kindled
• lit
• lighted

Example Sentences

She stared at the burning embers for a long time.

a burning hatred of corruption

The medicine produced a burning sensation on my tongue.

Symptoms include itchy, burning eyes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Designed to analyze any carbon-containing material found underneath Mars’s surface, the rover’s next-generation mass spectrometer is the linchpin of a strategy to finally answer the most burning question about the Red Planet: Is there evidence of past or present life? —Carmen Drahl, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2023

My most burning question? —Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2021

What is your most burning question? —Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2021

All this has much in common with a burning issue that surfaced in the early 1950s. —Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2023

Nathan Gemeinhart, 42, was found shot to death Aug. 9 inside a vacant and burning house. —Carol Robinson | [e-mail], al, 1 Jan. 2023

Underlying his politics at large was a burning sense of justice — especially for the poor and vulnerable. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 30 Nov. 2022

Dallas needs to show a similar willingness to experiment, iterate and adapt — and do so with a burning sense of urgency, local leaders say. —Dallas News, 19 Jan. 2022

It was fired by his burning lead guitar line, which took influence from Indian music and which served as the song’s hook. —Jim Farber, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing burning

• burning bush
• burning hot
• feel one's ears burning
• ears are burning
• burning ghat
• fat-burning

• burning bush
• burning hot
• feel one's ears burning
• ears are burning
• burning ghat
• fat-burning

Medical Definition

burning

1 of 2 adjective

burn·​ing ˈbər-niŋ 

1

: affecting with or as if with heat

a burning fever

2

: resembling that produced by a burn

a burning sensation on the tongue

burning

2 of 2 noun

: a sensation of being on fire or excessively heated

gastric burning