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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of searing
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
Ahmed explained that the experience played a pivotal part in his accepting a role in Darius Marder's searing 2019 drama Sound of Metal, which earned the actor his first Oscar nomination.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Applying a little to protect the thin skin of your lips from cold winds, searing sun, or any other force that might dry, chap, and crack them feels both common sense and routine.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for searing
Adjective
Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel, Ballad of a Small Player isn’t really Shakespeare-adjacent but the movie adaptation in the hands of the brilliant filmmaker Edward Berger with a searing, ferocious performance from Colin Farrell, is up there with the Bard.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
Ahmed explained that the experience played a pivotal part in his accepting a role in Darius Marder's searing 2019 drama Sound of Metal, which earned the actor his first Oscar nomination.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Each performance arrives with a sense of reinvention — not unlike Hepburn, whose leap from screwball comedies in the 1930s to searing dramas in the 1960s charted an artistic evolution rarely equaled in Hollywood.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Applying a little to protect the thin skin of your lips from cold winds, searing sun, or any other force that might dry, chap, and crack them feels both common sense and routine.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for searing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for searing
Adjective
-
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.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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One idea is that about a million years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled and underwent a phase transition, an event similar to how boiling water turns liquid into gas.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Scientific American,
3 Mar. 2020
Adjective
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Oysters inspired the researchers because of their remarkable ability to attach to rocks, bridge pilings, or even each other in the harsh underwater environment.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
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But the rules of the Long Walk are harsh and the stakes could not be higher.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The fire burned for 26 days, charring 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.—
Michael Slaten,
Oc Register,
20 Aug. 2025
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What To Know In a Sunday update, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said the two fires have burned more than 121,307 acres, with the Elk fire charring 14,635 acres and the Lee fire scorching 106,672 acres.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The study frames smoke-drying as a deliberate and technically demanding mortuary innovation among tropical hunter-gatherers.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
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Considering line drying or air drying isn’t always the most practical or convenient method, Stein suggests tumble drying your sheets on low heat.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
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Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Take the quiz here … KICKED TO THE CURB – Super Bowl hero cut from 49ers roster after brutal Week 1 performance.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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While released, Horton committed another horrific crime – a brutal home invasion and rape.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The resulting scorching ash cloud reached as high as 16 miles into the atmosphere, darkening the sky and causing homes and businesses as far as 300 miles away to close.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
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A’ja Wilson, incumbent MVP and leader of scorching Las Vegas, seeks the award for the fourth time in her career.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With the debates coming later this month, the campaign water is set to get hotter.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Sep. 2025
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Significantly diseased leaves should be raked and removed from the area and disposed of properly, such as by burying, burning where allowed, or hot composting, according to UW-Madison.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Searing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/searing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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