sweltering

[swel-ter-ing]

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adjective

suffering oppressive heat.

characterized by oppressive heat; sultry.

Origin of sweltering

First recorded in 1565–75; swelter + -ing²

Related formsswel·ter·ing·ly, adverbun·swel·ter·ing, adjective

swelter

[swel-ter]

verb (used without object)

to suffer from oppressive heat.

verb (used with object)

to oppress with heat.

Archaic. to exude, as venom.

noun

a sweltering condition.

Origin of swelter

1375–1425; late Middle English swelt(e)ren (v.), equivalent to swelt(en) to be overcome with heat (Old English sweltan to die; cognate with Old Norse svelta, Gothic swiltan) + -eren -er⁶

Related formsun·swel·tered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sweltering

humid, burning, oppressive, scorching, stuffy, sizzling, airless, torrid, stifling, baking, sultry, perspiring, broiling, close, stewing, fiery, sticky, sweaty, sweltry

Examples from the Web for sweltering

Contemporary Examples of sweltering

Basosila Botala is wearing a blue rain jacket despite the sweltering heat.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway
Nina Strochlic
December 18, 2014
With sweltering hot temperatures, constant sweat was normal.
The Original Ebola Hunter
Abby Haglage
September 14, 2014
The urban population abandons the sweltering cities and heads to the beach for the month.
Will Scandal Sink the Spanish Royal Family?
Tom Sykes
August 18, 2014
I've never seen a white body left in the street for four hours in the sweltering heat.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: August 17
PunditFact.com
August 17, 2014
After a sweltering day of Republican head-scratching, the Iowa GOP chose its least popular candidate as a Congressional nominee.
The Bizarro World Of Iowa’s GOP Convention
Ben Jacobs
June 23, 2014

Historical Examples of sweltering

The place was silent with the peaceful calm of a sweltering August day.
The Hound From The North
Ridgwell Cullum
Hard on the heels of a sweltering autumn the winter came down.
Bob, Son of Battle
Alfred Ollivant
The crisis came on Sunday the 28th of June, a day of sweltering heat.
Washington and his Comrades in Arms
George Wrong
The happy, sweltering audience did not seem to see her in the first act.
Sister Carrie
Theodore Dreiser
The sweltering heat caused a gradual discarding of garments.
The Belovd Vagabond
William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for sweltering

sweltering

adjective

oppressively hot and humida sweltering day

Derived Formsswelteringly, adverb

swelter

verb

(intr) to suffer under oppressive heat, esp to sweat and feel faint

(tr) archaic to exude (venom)

(tr) rare to cause to suffer under oppressive heat

noun

a sweltering condition (esp in the phrase in a swelter)

oppressive humid heat

Word Origin for swelter

C15 swelten, from Old English sweltan to die; related to Old Norse svelta to starve, Old High German swelzan to burn with passion; see sultry

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

Word Origin and History for sweltering

swelter

c.1400, frequentative of swelten "be faint (especially with heat)," late 14c., from Old English sweltan "to die," from Proto-Germanic *swel- (cf. Old Saxon sweltan "to die," Old Norse svelta "to put to death, starve," Gothic sviltan "to die"), originally "to burn slowly," hence "to be overcome with heat or fever;" also the source of Old English swelan "to burn," from PIE root *swel- (2) "to shine, beam" (see Selene). For specialization of words meaning "to die," cf. starve. Related: Sweltered; sweltering.