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Synonyms

steamy

American  
[stee-mee] / ˈsti mi /

adjective

  • steamier,
    comparative
  • steamiest
    superlative
  1. consisting of or resembling steam.

  2. full of or abounding in steam; emitting steam.

  3. covered with or as if with condensed steam.

    a steamy bathroom mirror.

  4. hot and humid.

  5. Informal. passionate or erotic.


steamy British  
/ ˈstiːmɪ /

adjective

  1. of, resembling, full of, or covered with steam

  2. informal lustful or erotic

    steamy nightlife

"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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives


Etymology

Origin of steamy

First recorded in 1635–45; steam + -y 1


Vocabulary lists containing steamy

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.

See Examples For:

But on a steamy afternoon in Queens, it became clear that the wait for a U.S. men’s major champion would go on a little longer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Graham was meeting and greeting voters on a steamy Sunday afternoon at a waterfront venue in suburban Charleston.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

"GOAT" moved ahead of steamy literary adaptation "Wuthering Heights," which earned $14.2 million in its second week of release, according to Exhibitor Relations.

From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026

That championship was played in steamy August, another contributing factor to the layout feeling unfamiliar.

From BBC ● May 12, 2025

Their words melt into the sound of water lapping against children—the steamy Accra air softening even the crisp cadences of their accents.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Their blues-based rock ’n’ roll is darker, steamier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

But in many rural communities, people stay outside late, cooking, socializing, or doing school work and avoiding hot houses made even steamier by metal roofs, Paaijmans and his colleagues have found.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 8, 2022

If you thought it felt a bit steamier the last time you went to Bed, Bath & Beyond, you wouldn’t be alone.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 29, 2022

Nicole Kidman revealed how her husband, Keith Urban, deals with some of the steamier romance scenes she has to film as an actress.

From Fox News ● Aug. 10, 2021

This room is hotter and steamier than the others because the snakes and turtles need it to be; it smells musky.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

We did not quite go back to spring or forward to fall in Washington on Sunday, but it did seem that we said farewell — however briefly — to the steamiest side of summer.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 18, 2021

Wednesday, the last day of June, was 95 — our steamiest of the year so far.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 2, 2021

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed perhaps their steamiest rendition yet of Shallow, from their film A Star is Born.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2019

The mirror is “more than a match for even the steamiest bathroom,” the website promises, which honestly sounds like a challenge to me, as I pride myself on my steamy bathroom.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2018

Build a development in the steamiest, nastiest jungle, and test recruits for the colony there.

From The Merchants of Venus by A. H. Phelps

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