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Synonyms

burning

American  
[bur-ning] / ˈbɜr nɪŋ /

adjective

  1. aflame; on fire.

  2. very hot; simmering.

    The water was burning.

  3. very bright; glowing.

    She wore a burning red bathing suit.

  4. caused by or as if by fire, a burn, or heat.

    He had a burning sensation in his throat.

  5. intense; passionate.

    a burning desire.

  6. urgent or crucial.

    a burning question.

noun

  1. the state, process, sensation, or effect of being on fire, burned, or subjected to intense heat.

  2. the baking of ceramic products to develop hardness and other properties.

  3. the heating or the calcining of certain ores and rocks as a preliminary stage in various industrial processes.

burning British  
/ ˈbɜːnɪŋ /

adjective

  1. intense; passionate

  2. urgent; crucial

    a burning problem
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a form of heat treatment used to harden and finish ceramic materials or to prepare certain ores for further treatment by calcination

  2. overheating of an alloy during heat treatment in which local fusion or excessive oxide formation and penetration occur, weakening the alloy

  3. the heat treatment of particular kinds of gemstones to change their colour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • burningly adverb
  • nonburning adjective
  • unburning adjective

Etymology

Origin of burning

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brenning, Old English byrnende; burn 1, -ing 1, -ing 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Still a lot of it was... not burning really but still smouldering," he added.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

The company is burning usage rates and a good bit of customer goodwill.

From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026

Astronaut Christina Koch said the so-called Universal Waste Management System was giving off "a burning heater smell."

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

A massive fire burning inside a Kimberly Clark paper products facility in Ontario collapsed a warehouse roof and forced firefighters to retreat early Tuesday as flames consumed the 1.2-million square foot structure.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

The man turned his bloodshot eyes on him, and he felt himself grow hot under their burning skepticism.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.