white-hot

adjective

ˈ(h)wīt-ˈhät How to pronounce white-hot (audio)
Definition of white-hotnext
as in searing
having a notably high temperature the molten mass was still white-hot when the glassblower began to work his magic

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 white-hot But by the time ’28 rolls around, this is gonna be the white-hot top issue. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026 Last year saw the sudden closure of NeueHouse, a once white-hot club and co-working space whose membership spanned Hollywood, media, fashion and tech. — George Gurley, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026 York has weaponized those 2 inches, in turn, into a kind of white-hot lava that his peers at Temple High and Texas A&M have never quite seen before. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026 The stone, a little white-hot comet, flew in a tight, mean line across the expanse. — Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for white-hot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for white-hot
  1. searing
  2. boiling
  3. hot
  4. burning
  5. molten
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
Definition of searing
Adjective
  • More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
  • 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
Definition of boiling
Adjective
  • The grandstands were packed with over 300,000 fans who would brave the very hot and humid Indiana weather in August.
    — Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
  • While there’s seemingly no shortage of players and other team employees willing to complain publicly about day-to-day decision-making within the league, Engelbert’s overall job security remains too hot for most to handle.
    — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of hot
Adjective
  • Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
  • In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
Definition of burning
Adjective
  • Why bench Rebekah Gardner, the team’s best perimeter defender, against Indiana (with Fiebich unavailable) when Kelsey Mitchell has been absolutely molten lately?
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Beyond this, next generation reactor technologies, several of which are being deployed, use coolants such as helium, molten salt, and liquid metal instead of water.
    — Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of molten

Browse Nearby Words

white heat
white-hot
white knight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“White-hot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white-hot. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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