warmth
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being warm; moderate or gentle heat.
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the sensation of moderate heat.
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liveliness of feelings, emotions, or sympathies; ardor or fervor; enthusiasm or zeal.
She spoke her mind with great warmth. There was warmth in his greeting and in his handshake.
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the quality of being intimate and attached.
All children need warmth and affection from their families.
- Synonyms:
- affection, kindness, tenderness
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an effect of brightness, cheerfulness, coziness, etc., achieved by the use of warm colors.
The room has warmth since it was redecorated.
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the means or ability to produce a sensation of heat.
a jacket with little warmth.
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slight anger or irritation.
Her denial betrayed some warmth.
noun
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the state, quality, or sensation of being warm
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intensity of emotion
he denied the accusation with some warmth
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affection or cordiality
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of warmth
First recorded in 1125–75, warmth is from the Middle English word wermth. See warm, -th 1
Explanation
Warmth is a quality of comfortable, soothing heat, like the warmth of a crackling fire in the hearth or the warmth of your cat in your lap. When you feel the sensation of being warm, that's warmth. You'll enjoy the warmth of a car's heated seats when you climb in after sledding for hours, as well as the warmth of a big mug of hot chocolate in your hands once you're home. Besides this literal heat-related warmth, there's also the figurative warmth of kindness and good feelings: "The warmth of my mom's smile makes everyone feel at home."
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.
The winter brought unprecedented warmth across the western United States.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
“And the durability of this truce depends less on the warmth of the words exchanged by the two leaders than on the credibility of the deterrents they can wield against each other.”
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
I would welcome technology that brings back some of that warmth and positivity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
On “Pygmora” and “One for Blake,” it is as if an icy, uncertain start to a day were followed by bursts of warmth and clarity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Clare was just about to nuzzle back into the warmth of her neck, to draw his fluffy tail tighter around them, when his ear caught the sound of an approach.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
