The word ‘hot‘ is frequently used in English, yet there are many other different words you can use instead to be more specific and make your writing more interesting.
Many synonyms for ‘hot’ are used to show that something is of a very high temperature, for example:
baking
It was a baking July day.
blistering
Her birthday, for once, was a blistering summer day.
boiling
When everyone else is boiling, I’m freezing!
burning
People will cross burning deserts to get there.
scorching
The marathon took place in scorching weather.
sultry
It began one sultry August evening.
sweltering
The roads were remarkably quiet despite the sweltering weather.
tropical
The temperature soared to a tropical heat.
Other synonyms of ‘hot’ describe things that are quite hot, like these below:
lukewarm
The coffee was only lukewarm.
tepid
She put her mouth to the tap and drank the tepid water.
warm
It was warm in the house and David only wore shorts.
There are some synonyms that are used mainly for very hot liquids, such as:
piping hot
There’s nothing better than curling up with a bowl of piping hot soup.
scalding
I tried to sip the tea but it was scalding.
steaming
She brought in two steaming mugs of coffee and handed him one.
Finally, you can use synonyms of ‘hot’ to talk about food with a strong flavour:
fiery
He said it was ‘a fiery combination of chicken, chillies and rice’.
peppery
She served it with peppery radishes.
piquant
The mustard gives a piquant edge to the dressing.
spicy
He made a spicy tomato sauce.
Look at the Thesaurus entry for hot to find other synonyms and examples.
All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.
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