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.
Netflix continues to expand its reality TV universe, with The Ultimatum franchise returning for another searing test of love and commitment. Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 2 July 2025 Football is certainly another, which is why rapper Kendrick Lamar’s willingness to hold a mirror to America during his Super Bowl halftime performance was so searing in its power. Andrea Williams, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 Pritzker’s speech, which occurred as national Democrats were largely leaderless in countering and criticizing Trump’s early chaotic presidential moves, aimed to fill the vacuum and garnered significant attention by offering a searing response to the president for a national audience. Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025 And first baseman Colby Thorndyke comes in with a searing swing. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 June 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 18 Jul. 2025.

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