fiery
Americanadjective
-
consisting of, attended with, characterized by, or containing fire.
a volcano's fiery discharge.
-
intensely hot.
fiery desert sands.
-
like or suggestive of fire.
a fiery red; angry, fiery eyes.
-
intensely ardent, impetuous, or passionate.
fiery courage; a fiery speech.
- Synonyms:
- impassioned, spirited, vehement, fervent
- Antonyms:
- dispassionate, cold, cool
-
easily angered or provoked.
a fiery temper.
-
causing a burning sensation, as certain liquors or condiments.
-
inflamed, as a tumor or sore.
-
Mining: Older Use.
-
highly flammable.
-
containing highly flammable gas.
-
adjective
-
of, containing, or composed of fire
-
resembling fire in heat, colour, ardour, etc
a fiery desert wind
a fiery speaker
-
easily angered or aroused
a fiery temper
-
(of food) producing a burning sensation
a fiery curry
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(of the skin or a sore) inflamed
-
flammable or containing flammable gas
-
(of a cricket pitch) making the ball bounce dangerously high
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fiery
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English fiery, fury, fery; see fire, -y 1
Explanation
When something is very hot or intense, it's fiery. Fiery can describe a literal blaze, a hot chili pepper, or even a fiery temper. Any time there's fire, you have a fiery situation. This word applies to a lot more than flames, though. If you lose your temper easily, you may be called hot-headed or fiery. An intense argument — with two people yelling and carrying on — could be called fiery. Any kind of intense emotion or passion is fiery. If you're a cool customer, you're not very fiery. Also, you could say that hot Indian curry or spicy chicken wings are fiery.
Vocabulary lists containing fiery
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
Dolores Huerta, the fiery and resolute activist who helped launch and guide the nation’s first enduring labor union for poor farmworkers and later became an inspiration to women and liberal true believers, has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Shadab was unflappable in the face of such a monumental task, supported by the fiery Rauf.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
King Durin III sacrifices himself to a fiery monster in the Season 2 finale of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The union’s fiery leader won a decisive victory and placed allies in key positions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
What if another fiery hurricane swept over the forest?
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
On another side of town, and in another fictional world, sketch-comedy group The Habit tries on a fierier stage adaptation with a much higher body count: the 1988 Christmas Eve action-thriller “Die Hard.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2019
With the help of a public speaking coach, he returned to the debates as a decidedly fierier presence.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 21, 2016
He was fierier than most Plowshares activists, a believer in miracles and prophecy, a bold “warrior for peace,” like Philip Berrigan.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 28, 2015
While Mr. Boreyko led the orchestra in brisk, burnished readings — the brasses, not always the Philharmonic’s rock, were particularly strong — the final Allegro of the Dvorak could have been fierier.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2012
I give thanks to God that I am made of fierier material.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson Swanston Edition Vol. 6 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson
Walkerswood is known for producing some of the fieriest sauces.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
The paper reported that there were parents in favor of the mask mandate, but some of the fieriest speeches came from those diametrically opposed.
From Fox News ● Aug. 18, 2021
Having been trialled for 10 minutes at Southampton last week, it’s getting a full baptism of the fieriest fire today.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 19, 2017
Todd Stottlemyre, known as one of the fieriest pitchers of his era, won 138 games in the majors from 1988 to 2002.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2016
The captain, an enormous brawny Celt, with superhuman whiskers and a shock of the fieriest hair, had figged himself out, more majorum, in the full Highland costume.
From Stories by English Authors: Scotland (Selected by Scribners) by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
