Synonyms of searing

searing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈsir-iŋ 

1

as in boiling

having a notably high temperature

in our air-conditioned office, we were oblivious to the searing heat outside

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boiling
• burning
• hot
• molten
• broiling
• white-hot
• scorching
• red
• heated
• sweltering
• fiery
• scalding
• torrid
• roasting
• superheated
• warm
• warmed
• fervent
• sultry
• fervid
• red-hot
• blazing
• ardent
• piping hot
• glowing
• sizzling
• seething
• ultrahot
• igneous
• overheated
• tropical
• reheated
• steamy
• feverish
• inflamed
• flushed
• warmish
• toasty
• muggy
• summery
• snug
• summerlike
• canicular

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cold
• freezing
• icy
• frozen
• bitter
• glacial
• arctic
• frigid
• ice-cold
• iced
• chilly
• cool
• chill
• snappy
• bone-chilling
• wintry
• nippy
• frosty
• snowy
• algid
• subzero
• cooled
• coolish
• chilled
• unheated
• shivering
• coldish
• refrigerated
• subfreezing
• numb
• blizzardly
• benumbed

2

as in harsh

difficult to endure

the undersecretary looked chastened as he listened to the congressman's searing rebuke

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harsh
• brutal
• oppressive
• tough
• severe
• hard
• rough
• trying
• grim
• cruel
• painful
• heavy
• excruciating
• bleak
• bitter
• murderous
• rugged
• grievous
• inhuman
• onerous
• burdensome
• stiff
• unbearable
• crushing
• biting
• discomforting
• uncomfortable
• agonizing
• unpleasant
• strict
• rigorous
• hardhanded
• forbidding
• austere
• overwhelming
• grinding
• stringent
• heartrending
• bad
• inhospitable
• intemperate
• harrowing
• heartbreaking
• inclement
• wild
• spartan
• hostile
• wretched
• comfortless
• tortuous
• unendurable
• wearing
• intolerable
• insufferable
• insupportable
• disagreeable
• unfriendly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• easy
• soft
• comfortable
• pleasant
• luxurious
• cozy
• friendly
• genial
• agreeable
• hospitable
• peaceful
• mild
• relaxing
• gentle
• moderate
• restful
• painless
• bearable
• calm
• tolerable
• snug
• temperate
• balmy
• reposeful
• endurable
• clement

searing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sear

1

as in charring

to burn on the surface

lightly sear the steaks, but don't cook them all the way through

Synonyms & Similar Words

• charring
• scorching
• baking
• singeing
• lighting
• igniting
• kindling
• firing
• inflaming
• incinerating
• scalding
• scathing
• cremating

2

as in drying

to make dry

the clear desert air is seared by the summer sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drying
• scorching
• parching
• baking
• draining
• desiccating
• dehydrating
• evaporating
• dehumidifying
• withering
• shriveling
• mummifying
• air-drying
• wizening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• washing
• wetting
• flooding
• watering
• soaking
• drowning
• saturating
• drenching
• overflowing
• bathing
• inundating
• dousing
• sopping
• moistening
• damping
• dampening
• hydrating
• deluging
• dipping
• sousing
• submerging
• waterlogging
• swamping
• humidifying
• dunking
• rehydrating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of searing

Adjective

Von Carolsfeld doesn’t attempt a sweeping indictment of the criminal justice system, but rather produces a devastatingly accurate portrait of the searing human complicity that allows some monsters to roam free. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026

If random disclosure of common-sense-defying detail is your idea of a searing, poignant journey into the light of faith, there’s more where that came from. — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Verb

Even for a party accustomed to searing debates between progressives and moderates, the schism over Israel has been blistering. — Steve Peoples, Fortune, 24 June 2026

Right now, everything was an eye-searing neon yellow. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026