heated
Americanadjective
-
made hot or hotter; warmed.
-
excited; inflamed; vehement.
a heated discussion.
- Synonyms:
- fierce, impassioned, passionate
adjective
-
made hot; warmed
-
impassioned or highly emotional
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heated
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.
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.
The Netherlands is in the midst of its own heated public debate on assisted dying, which has spilled into the Canadian committee hearings.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
“The conversation about policy at Warsh’s first meeting is going to be a heated one with many participants arguing that a rate hike should be a possible policy action later in the year,” he added.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
No, I haven’t been recognized, but it gets heated.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
And it’s a battleground in the sense that there’s heated debate on Wall Street over which technologies will win in the long run.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
“Oh, enough, Robert!” she broke into his heated outburst.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
