searing

1 of 2

adjective

sear·​ing ˈsir-iŋ 

1

: very hot

2

: marked by extreme intensity, harshness, or emotional power

searing pain

a searing review

a searing portrayal

searingly adverb

searing

2 of 2

present participle of sear entry 1

Synonyms of searing

Adjective

• boiling
• burning
• hot
• molten

Examples of searing in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Every time our case is in the news, I am returned to that terrible day and the searing pain of the weeks, months and years that followed. — Sharon Risher, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026

Those searing talents still deliver year after year, but the team’s inability to surround Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with sufficient talent has been an annual frustration. — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

The searing season only exacerbated the Colorado River water crisis. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

The result is a book that, despite the searing and brutal honesty of its details, never becomes fully untethered from basic human tenderness. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for searing

• cheering
• clearing
• earing
• earring
• fearing
• gearing
• hearing
• jeering
• leering
• nearing
• peering
• rearing