burnt

American  

[burnt] / bɜrnt /

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of burn.

---

adjective

1. Fine Arts.

   1. of or showing earth pigments that have been calcined and changed to a deeper and warmer color.

      burnt ocher.

   2. of or showing colors having a deeper or grayer hue than is usually associated with them.

      burnt orange; burnt rose.

burnt British  

/ bɜːnt /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of burn 1

---

adjective

1. affected by or as if by burning; charred

2. (of various pigments, such as ochre and orange) calcined, with a resultant darkening of colour

Other Word Forms

• unburnt
  adjective
• well-burnt
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of burnt

First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective

Example Sentences

My house burnt down in the Altadena fires.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

That’s like saying burnt steak is better than overdone meat loaf.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

A Jewish woman whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and grew up at Bondi, told the inquiry she was "shocked to see flags being burnt at the Opera House -- it was such an un-Australian thing".

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

I sometimes hoped I’d get a call in the middle of the night: “The building burnt down, and all your stuff is gone. Congratulations!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

“It’s a korma, left over from Eid. From the freezer, Zara. Eat it,” Mama orders, and I can tell that between Zayd’s crying and the burnt food, she is not in the mood for whining.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan