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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.

Imperial Brands said it expects to report higher adjusted operating profit for the first half of fiscal 2026, helped by strong tobacco pricing and revenue growth from its vaping, heated tobacco and oral nicotine products.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 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

According to Simpson and Atteu, Hernandez had a baby in the car during the heated exchange and ran stop signs and ignored traffic lights as he sped away.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The sun had heated the pipe so the water was warm when we soaked our washcloths.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

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.