scorching
Americanadjective
-
burning; very hot.
-
caustic or scathing.
a scorching denunciation.
Other Word Forms
- scorchingly adverb
- unscorching adjective
Etymology
Origin of scorching
Explanation
Use the adjective scorching to mean extremely hot. The scorching heat from a wildfire tar on roads and char nearby houses and trees. There's a huge difference between a warm day and a scorching one; the word implies a brutal heat. If the weather is scorching, you'll be desperate for air conditioning, iced drinks, or the relief of a cold shower. You can also use it to mean "harsh," like a critic's scorching review of a really terrible movie. Etymologists suspect that scorching is derived from the Old Norse skorpna, "to be shriveled."
Vocabulary lists containing scorching
A Rover's Story
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I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
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The School for Invisible Boys
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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.
Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to their scorching cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground.”
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
Anaheim notably hit 100 degrees, surpassing the 90-degree record set in 2010, while Palm Springs made it all the way to a scorching 103 degrees.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
It required ignoring a scorching climate and unrest in the region going back decades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Henry Arundell is the only wing to start all three games for England, but the 23-year-old Bath flier's game is more centred around his scorching pace.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
She was sitting directly behind me, but I could still feel the heat of her eyes burning through the headrest, scorching the back of my neck.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
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.
