1
: very hot
2
: marked by extreme intensity, harshness, or emotional power
searing pain
a searing review
a searing portrayal
searingly
adverb
Synonyms
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
Squid Game might have set out to tell a searing allegory about the miseries of capitalism, but its packaging was a marketing boon.
—
Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2023
Is there something in this prequel that’s equally searing and powerful?
—WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023
Rodrigo wrote the searing ballad with producer Daniel Nigro, less than two months after the release of Guts, her sophomore LP.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2023
Recommended Justice Israel’s moral challenge in Gaza – to fight humanely
9 How To Say Babylon
by Safiya Sinclair
Acclaimed poet Safiya Sinclair’s searing and lyrical memoir describes her upbringing in Jamaica in a strict Rastafarian household ruled by her autocratic father.
—Monitor Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2023
The work is searing and personal, but not parochial.
—Imani Perry, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023
The next day, Moshe Dayan, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, delivered a short but searing eulogy, standing over the officer’s grave.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2023
Related:Dallas author LaToya Watkins mines Texas’ traumas in her searing debut novel, ‘Perish’
If a reader stumbles and pauses over this vernacular, Holler, Child may be a challenging read.
—Joyce Sáenz Harris, Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2023
On a searing August afternoon, Chappell Roan sidled up to her favorite bar in L.A., Bigfoot Lodge in Atwater Village.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023
See More
Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2023
Is there something in this prequel that’s equally searing and powerful?
—WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023
Rodrigo wrote the searing ballad with producer Daniel Nigro, less than two months after the release of Guts, her sophomore LP.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2023
Recommended Justice Israel’s moral challenge in Gaza – to fight humanely
9 How To Say Babylon
by Safiya Sinclair
Acclaimed poet Safiya Sinclair’s searing and lyrical memoir describes her upbringing in Jamaica in a strict Rastafarian household ruled by her autocratic father.
—Monitor Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2023
The work is searing and personal, but not parochial.
—Imani Perry, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023
The next day, Moshe Dayan, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, delivered a short but searing eulogy, standing over the officer’s grave.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2023
Related:Dallas author LaToya Watkins mines Texas’ traumas in her searing debut novel, ‘Perish’
If a reader stumbles and pauses over this vernacular, Holler, Child may be a challenging read.
—Joyce Sáenz Harris, Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2023
On a searing August afternoon, Chappell Roan sidled up to her favorite bar in L.A., Bigfoot Lodge in Atwater Village.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'searing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near searing
Cite this Entry
“Searing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/searing. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on searing
Nglish: Translation of searing for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of searing for Arabic Speakers
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