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Synonyms

sweltering

American  
[swel-ter-ing] / ˈswɛl tər ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. suffering oppressive heat.

  2. characterized by oppressive heat; sultry.

sweltering British  
/ ˈswɛltərɪŋ /

adjective

  1. oppressively hot and humid

    a sweltering day
"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

  • swelteringly adverb
  • unsweltering adjective

Etymology

Origin of sweltering

First recorded in 1565–75; swelter + -ing 2

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.

Benfica's win against Bayern Munich in Charlotte was played at 15:00 local time in sweltering 36C conditions.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

After a brief reprieve from sweltering temperatures over the weekend, dangerous heat once again descended on the region Monday, bringing a host of warnings from the National Weather Service.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Lyberth said the cool climate was "very good for leafy greens", in contrast to Europe's sweltering, drought-wracked summers.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Cubans are going hungry, suffering from spreading disease and sleeping outdoors with no electricity to power fans through the sweltering nights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Then, finally, it descended into the relatively cool, green beneficence of the Puget Sound region, perhaps the only region in America that was not sweltering that summer.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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.