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Synonyms

steamy

American  
[stee-mee] / ˈsti mi /

adjective

  • steamier,
    comparative
  • steamiest
    superlative
  1. consisting of or resembling steam.

  2. full of or abounding in steam; emitting steam.

  3. covered with or as if with condensed steam.

    a steamy bathroom mirror.

  4. hot and humid.

  5. Informal. passionate or erotic.


steamy British  
/ ˈstiːmɪ /

adjective

  1. of, resembling, full of, or covered with steam

  2. informal lustful or erotic

    steamy nightlife

"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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

Etymology

Origin of steamy

First recorded in 1635–45; steam + -y 1

Vocabulary lists containing steamy

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.

See Examples For:

Jofra Archer did just that, galvanising the crowd after tea on a steamy afternoon in Nottingham.

From BBC Jun. 27, 2026

If you’re new to her work, here is where to start with Groff’s sprawling canon, which spans from steamy Florida swamps to medieval abbeys with a gift for the unexpected.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 26, 2026

I love an impromptu party, especially in the dead of winter and when it involves a luxurious, steamy bowl of soup.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 19, 2026

"Wuthering Heights," Emerald Fennell's steamy adaptation of the classic Emily Bronte novel, charmed moviegoers in North America over the four-day US holiday weekend, raking in $40 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

From Barron's Feb. 15, 2026

He tested the temperature with his toe and slowly walked down into the steamy water.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

Their blues-based rock ’n’ roll is darker, steamier.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 17, 2026

But in many rural communities, people stay outside late, cooking, socializing, or doing school work and avoiding hot houses made even steamier by metal roofs, Paaijmans and his colleagues have found.

From Science Magazine Sep. 8, 2022

If you thought it felt a bit steamier the last time you went to Bed, Bath & Beyond, you wouldn’t be alone.

From Washington Times Jun. 29, 2022

Nicole Kidman revealed how her husband, Keith Urban, deals with some of the steamier romance scenes she has to film as an actress.

From Fox News Aug. 10, 2021

This room is hotter and steamier than the others because the snakes and turtles need it to be; it smells musky.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

We did not quite go back to spring or forward to fall in Washington on Sunday, but it did seem that we said farewell — however briefly — to the steamiest side of summer.

From Washington Post Jul. 18, 2021

Wednesday, the last day of June, was 95 — our steamiest of the year so far.

From Washington Post Jul. 2, 2021

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed perhaps their steamiest rendition yet of Shallow, from their film A Star is Born.

From BBC Feb. 25, 2019

The mirror is “more than a match for even the steamiest bathroom,” the website promises, which honestly sounds like a challenge to me, as I pride myself on my steamy bathroom.

From Slate Jul. 9, 2018

Build a development in the steamiest, nastiest jungle, and test recruits for the colony there.

From The Merchants of Venus by A. H. Phelps

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