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searing


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sear 1

 (sîr)

v. seared, sear·ing, sears

v.tr.

1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of.

2. To brown (meat) quickly using very high heat. See Synonyms at burn1.

3. To cause to dry up and wither.

4.

a. To cause emotional pain or trauma to: "The image of the burdened, solitary president ... seared the American mind as never before" (James Carroll).

b. To cause to be felt or remembered because of emotional intensity: "Such increases in value have seared into people's minds the idea that investments will almost always pay off" (David Leonhardt).

v.intr.

1. To become dried up or withered.

2. To be felt or remembered because of emotional intensity: The incident seared into the nation's memory.

n.

A condition, such as a scar, produced by searing.

[Middle English seren, from Old English sēarian, to wither, from sēar, withered.]

sear 2

 (sîr)

n.

The catch in a gunlock that keeps the hammer halfcocked or fully cocked.

[Probably French serre, something that grasps, from Old French, lock, from serrer, to grasp, from Vulgar Latin *serrāre, from Late Latin serāre, to bolt, from Latin sera, bar, bolt; see ser- in Indo-European roots.]

sear 3

 (sîr)

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

searing

(ˈsɪərɪŋ)

adj

1. burning

2. intense

3. fierce; highly critical

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.1.searing - severely critical

critical - marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws; "a critical attitude"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

searing

adjective

2. cutting, biting, severe, bitter, harsh, scathing, acrimonious, barbed, hurtful, sarcastic, sardonic, caustic, vitriolic, trenchant, mordant, mordacious, acerb They have long been subject to searing criticism.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

searing

adjective

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

searing

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

searing

[ˈsɪərɪŋ] adj (heat) → rovente; (pain) → acuto/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995