hothouse
Americannoun
plural
hothousesadjective
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of, relating to, or noting a plant grown in a hothouse, or so fragile as to be capable of being grown only in a hothouse.
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overprotected, artificial, or unnaturally delicate.
noun
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a greenhouse in which the temperature is maintained at a fixed level above that of the surroundings
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( as modifier )
a hothouse plant
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an environment that encourages rapid development
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( as modifier )
a hot-house atmosphere
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an environment where there is great pressure
showjumping is a tough, hothouse world
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informal (modifier) sensitive or delicate
a hothouse temperament
Etymology
Origin of hothouse
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.
Baton Rouge is a merciless hothouse that won’t accept anything short of national titles, but presumably he knows the madness he’s walking into.
The new owners don't reside in the hothouse of Glasgow football, they don't feel the emotion and they look less likely to react to the thunder of the fans in a way their predecessors did.
From BBC
Leeds were back in all their glory on and off the pitch as Elland Road boiled in the sort of hothouse atmosphere that will be key to their ambitions of staying in the top flight.
From BBC
Santa Monica High was a hothouse of political engagement, where students — the children of entertainment executives, bankers and lawyers, as well as nannies, day laborers and wait staff — were finding their footing as activists.
From Los Angeles Times
In the region affected by the Eaton fire, officials responsible for mosquito control say they do not have the funds needed to provide sufficient treatment for all the pools that are now possible mosquito hothouses.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
