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fiery

American  
[fahyuhr-ee, fahy-uh-ree] / ˈfaɪər i, ˈfaɪ ə ri /

adjective

fierier, fieriest

  1. consisting of, attended with, characterized by, or containing fire.

    a volcano's fiery discharge.

  2. intensely hot.

    fiery desert sands.
    Antonyms:
    cold, cold, cool, cool

  3. like or suggestive of fire.

    a fiery red; angry, fiery eyes.
    Synonyms:
    burning, glowing, flaming
    Antonyms:
    cold, cold, cool, cool

  4. intensely ardent, impetuous, or passionate.

    fiery courage; a fiery speech.
    Synonyms:
    impassioned, spirited, vehement, fervent
    Antonyms:
    dispassionate, cold, cold, cool, cool

  5. easily angered or provoked.

    a fiery temper.

  6. causing a burning sensation, as certain liquors or condiments.

  7. inflamed, as a tumor or sore.

  8. Mining: Older Use.

    1. highly flammable.

    2. containing highly flammable gas.

fiery British  
/ ˈfaɪərɪ /

adjective

  1. of, containing, or composed of fire

  2. resembling fire in heat, colour, ardour, etc

    a fiery desert wind

    a fiery speaker

  3. easily angered or aroused

    a fiery temper

  4. (of food) producing a burning sensation

    a fiery curry

  5. (of the skin or a sore) inflamed

  6. flammable or containing flammable gas

  7. (of a cricket pitch) making the ball bounce dangerously high

"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

  • fierily adverb
  • fieriness noun
  • unfiery adjective

Etymology

Origin of fiery

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English fiery, fury, fery; fire, -y 1

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.

Patricia Eddings, an expert in trace evidence, is short, with fiery red hair and a cheery Mississippi drawl.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Embassy staff hostages nearly 46 years ago—had failed dramatically after a series of mishaps, punctuated by a fiery crash at a desert staging area.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Dubois repeatedly questioned Harper's achievements and credentials, while Harper shoved Dubois during a fiery media face-off earlier in the week.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Denford’s mission is to interrupt the spinning vortex of negativity in which the world is caught by redirecting our energy instead of contributing one more fiery rebuttal to sexist idiocy.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

They’re trying to keep outsiders from drilling into the heart of their earth, because the fiery magma at its center has special, magical properties.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

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.