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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harsh
difficult to endure
the undersecretary looked chastened as he listened to the congressman's searing rebuke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in drying
to make dry
the clear desert air is seared by the summer sun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of searing
Janey Wetzel,
PEOPLE,
19 June 2026
Crisping the perfect pizza crust on a baking steel, searing steaks on a grill, draining a pot of scalding pasta water, or pulling a hot potato from an oven—none of these are the time or place to play it fast and loose.
—
Adam Campbell-Schmitt,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 June 2026
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Quantified with power meters and stopwatches, every lung-searing effort was an imposition of my will on not just my body, but the world.
—
James Hibbard,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for searing
Adjective
Through a dual-timeline structure, Ward channels her profound grief into a searing indictment of American society.
—
Janey Wetzel,
PEOPLE,
19 June 2026
Crisping the perfect pizza crust on a baking steel, searing steaks on a grill, draining a pot of scalding pasta water, or pulling a hot potato from an oven—none of these are the time or place to play it fast and loose.
—
Adam Campbell-Schmitt,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 June 2026
Verb
Having a couple of spatulas on hand — one silicone, one metal — covers the full range of cooking tasks, from delicate eggs in a nonstick pan to searing burgers on cast iron.
—
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Quantified with power meters and stopwatches, every lung-searing effort was an imposition of my will on not just my body, but the world.
—
James Hibbard,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for searing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for searing
Adjective
-
More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.
-
Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.
Adjective
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Plant magnolias somewhere they will be protected from harsh winds, especially when buds or flowers are developing.
-
Most clarifying shampoos tend to be a little harsh and drying, but this one is gentle and nourishing.
Verb
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Rather than charring corn on the grill, this recipe calls for wrapping the cobs in foil packets and cooking them on the grill.
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Unexpectedly high degrees of charring on Orion's heat shield during that mission led engineers to alter the spacecraft's course to prevent a recurrence on Artemis 2, but, as is anything untested in space, there is always risk involved.
Verb
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The assessment also confirmed a 100 percent reduction in water usage for the crops, a critical metric for water-stressed growing regions such as the Texas High Plains, which sits above the rapidly drying Ogallala Aquifer.
-
A lot of anti-aging skincare contains ingredients like retinol that can be drying and irritating, but Cetaphil has a possible solution.
Adjective
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In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.
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Some people drove or walked by, staring, and a video of the cross-burning gained traction online.
Adjective
-
His first strikeout was part of a brutal sequence.
-
The injury is obviously a brutal blow to Canada's starting 11.
Verb
-
France put emergency services and military forces on wildfire alert, restricted public alcohol consumption and canceled some outdoor sports events to cope with a heat wave scorching parts of Europe.
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Backed by just a DJ (Dazedgxd, who opened the set) and a retina-scorching light rig up front, Jane acknowledged on Thursday that the stakes were getting much higher.
Adjective
-
That’s why everything looks different in a cold pool versus a hot shower.
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Either way, El Niño is likely to remain a hot topic throughout 2026.
Cite this Entry
“Searing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/searing. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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