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scorched 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of scorchednext
as in burned

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scorched

2 of 2

verb

past tense of scorch
1
as in charred
to burn on the surface the picnickers kept scorching their marshmallows, deliberately sticking their skewers into the licking flames of the campfire

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in dried
to make dry weeks of drought had badly scorched the soil

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of scorched
Adjective
If possible, wait until the extreme temperatures cool to apply pesticides that can cause scorched leaves. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 20 June 2026 Later the day of the arson, a young man with scorched hands faced an FBI agent and others investigating the crime. — Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
Dangerous heat that has scorched the Southwest for days is now spreading to the nation's midsection. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 Another fire scorched an apartment building in Kansas City’s vacant Olive Park Village Apartments complex Friday morning, marking the second blaze firefighters put out there in less than a week. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scorched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scorched
  1. burned
  2. charred
  3. dried
  4. seared
  5. incinerated
  6. scorching
Adjective
  • Designed to function like an ice resurfacer, BurnBot lays down pre-burned paths that define the boundaries of burn areas.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Nov. 2025
  • Yeager said none of the non-burned areas of the facility have been turned on again.
    — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Definition of burned
Verb
  • Poblano peppers are charred and peeled, then stuffed with picadillo, a mix of ground beef, spices, nuts and seasonal fruits such as pears and apples.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The same chargrill produces the usual skewers but also charred okra spears or smoky mushrooms.
    — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of charred
Verb
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension similarly recommends harvesting when the seeds become light brown and the plant has dried, typically about two to three weeks after flowering.
    — Rachel Gillett, Martha Stewart, 15 Sep. 2026
  • There’s no smoky cast to the Virginia Distillery’s whiskey, for unlike that of the famed makers on Scotland’s Islay island, its malted barley is not dried over peat fires.
    — Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of dried
Adjective
  • Use it over seared tofu or chicken breasts, or buttered white rice with a drizzle of soy sauce.
    — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Originating in London, Steak Diane is a pan-seared steak topped with a flambéed cream and cognac sauce, that became a staple dish in the 1960s and 1970s across the United States.
    — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of seared
Adjective
  • Grace, her white lace dress blackened with blood, is smoking a cigarette outside of an incinerated mansion that belongs to her in-laws, the Le Domas, who are all dead.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Know More Initially founded in 2012 with a $5 million dollar grant from the John Templeton Foundation, Nautilus incinerated cash, sparing no expense in its pursuit of bringing resplendent literary science to the reading public.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Definition of incinerated
Adjective
  • French Champagne production is expected to fall by nearly half in 2026 due to a scorching heat wave that swept across the country, significantly harming crops.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2026
  • And then there is one more heave and a scorching second equaliser.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of scorching

Browse Nearby Words

scorch
scorched
scorches
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Cite this Entry

“Scorched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scorched. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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