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Synonyms

heated

American  
[hee-tid] / ˈhi tɪd /

adjective

  1. made hot or hotter; warmed.

  2. excited; inflamed; vehement.

    a heated discussion.
    Synonyms:
    fierce, impassioned, passionate
heated British  
/ ˈhiːtɪd /

adjective

  1. made hot; warmed

  2. impassioned or highly emotional

"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

  • heatedly adverb
  • heatedness noun
  • unheated adjective
  • well-heated adjective

Etymology

Origin of heated

First recorded in 1585–95; heat + -ed 2

Explanation

Heated things are warmed up, like a heated swimming pool or a heated bowl of tomato soup. After a long walk in the snow, the warmth of a heated building feels great, although tasting a meal that's been heated in a microwave too long doesn't feel too great when it burns your tongue. When heated describes an argument, discussion, or dispute, it means "intense, passionate, or agitated." A heated debate between presidential candidates might be exactly what voters hope to see.

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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.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement grew heated Saturday afternoon, with police declaring an unlawful assembly.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

As the green of summer grew around the dome and the weather heated up, it morphed, looking more like a loaf of bread as the sides began to melt.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

Maybe one could surmise that people have gotten tired of heated discourse, that they’re bored by arguing.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

UConn coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had a heated postgame confrontation after South Carolina’s 62-48 Final Four victory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Elizabeth is right beside me, using prepackaged naan Mama heated on the stove to soak up the curry.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

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.