hothouse

[hot-hous]

noun

plural

hothouses 

1. an artificially heated greenhouse for the cultivation of tender plants.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or noting a plant grown in a hothouse, or so fragile as to be capable of being grown only in a hothouse.

2. overprotected, artificial, or unnaturally delicate.

hothouse

/ ˈhɒtˌhaʊs /

noun

1. 1. a greenhouse in which the temperature is maintained at a fixed level above that of the surroundings

   2. ( as modifier )

      a hothouse plant

2. 1. an environment that encourages rapid development

   2. ( as modifier )

      a hot-house atmosphere

3. an environment where there is great pressure

   showjumping is a tough, hothouse world

4. informal,  (modifier) sensitive or delicate

   a hothouse temperament

Word History and Origins

Origin of hothouse¹

First recorded in 1505–15; hot + house

Example Sentences

The new owners don't reside in the hothouse of Glasgow football, they don't feel the emotion and they look less likely to react to the thunder of the fans in a way their predecessors did.

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Leeds were back in all their glory on and off the pitch as Elland Road boiled in the sort of hothouse atmosphere that will be key to their ambitions of staying in the top flight.

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Santa Monica High was a hothouse of political engagement, where students — the children of entertainment executives, bankers and lawyers, as well as nannies, day laborers and wait staff — were finding their footing as activists.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In the region affected by the Eaton fire, officials responsible for mosquito control say they do not have the funds needed to provide sufficient treatment for all the pools that are now possible mosquito hothouses.

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That pressure is very often from players and managers in the fierce hothouse of elite-level football, trickling right down to the grassroots.

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Related Words

• back yard 
• bed 
• field 
• greenhouse 
• nursery 
• patio 
• terrace