scorching
[skawr-ching]
- burning; very hot.
- caustic or scathing: a scorching denunciation.
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Origin of scorching
scorch
[skawrch]
- to affect the color, taste, etc., of by burning slightly: The collar of the shirt was yellow where the iron had scorched it.
- to parch or shrivel with heat: The sun scorched the grass.
- to criticize severely.
- Machinery. burn1(def 31).
- to destroy (crops, towns, etc.) by or as if by fire in the path of an invading army's advance.
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- to become scorched: Milk scorches easily.
- Informal. to travel or drive at high speed: The car scorched along the highway.
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- a superficial burn.
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Origin of scorch
1400–50; late Middle English scorchen, perhaps blend of scorcnen (< Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skorpna to shrivel) and torch1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
1. See burn1.
Antonyms
3. laud.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
sizzlingsearingblisteringswelteringfieryscathingburninghotcausticcurtderisivenastysarcasticscornfulExamples from the Web for scorching
Contemporary Examples
However, the ongoing bloody conflict between Israel and Palestine is apparently still too scorching a hot-button issue to touch.
Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire Posts Pro-Palestine Photo, Allegedly Cyberbullies Israeli-Born MTV VJRobert Silverman
July 14, 2014
Of course there is high-volume, scorching human vanity at large here.
Combined with zombie-slaying stunts and the scorching Georgia heat, conditions on set can be grueling.
The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus Says Michonne’s Cute, Wouldn’t Mind a RomanceMelissa Leon
November 11, 2013
Sure, all of these folks share healthy egos and a scorching ambition, but come on, we are talking about American politics here.
Scorpio Rising by R.G. Vliet One of the most scorching, incandescent romances ever.
Historical Examples
Then came smoke, the smell of scorching linen, and a cry of horror from Celine.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Words can give no idea of the scorching, blinding heat this August afternoon.
The Roof of FranceMatilda Betham-Edwards
Cover the fat of the kidney and the back with paper to prevent it from scorching.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
My suffering was horrible; my tears were flowing, scorching and bitter.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
He was still looking at her and tears were scorching his eyes.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
scorch
- to burn or become burnt, so as to affect the colour, taste, etc, or to cause or feel pain
- to wither or parch or cause to wither from exposure to heat
- (intr) informal to be very hotit is scorching outside
- (tr) informal to criticize harshly
- (intr) British slang to drive or ride very fast
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- a slight burn
- a mark caused by the application of too great heat
- horticulture a mark or series of marks on fruit, vegetables, etc, caused by pests or insecticides
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Word Origin
C15: probably from Old Norse skorpna to shrivel up
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for scorching
scorch
v.
"to burn superficially or slightly, but so as to change the color or injure the texture," early 14c., perhaps an alteration of scorrcnenn "make dry, parch" (c.1200), of obscure origin, perhaps from Old Norse skorpna "to be shriveled," cognate with Old English scrimman "to shrink, dry up." Or perhaps from Old French escorchier "to strip off the skin," from Vulgar Latin excorticare "to flay," from ex- (see ex-) + Latin cortex (genitive corticis) "cork;" but OED finds this not likely. Scorched earth military strategy is 1937, translation of Chinese jiaotu, used against the Japanese in a bid to stem their advance into China.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper