15 other words for ‘hot’

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:

bakingIt was a baking July day.
blisteringHer birthday, for once, was a blistering summer day.
boilingWhen everyone else is boiling, I’m freezing!
burningPeople will cross burning deserts to get there.
scorchingThe marathon took place in scorching weather.
sultryIt began one sultry August evening.
swelteringThe roads were remarkably quiet despite the sweltering weather.
tropicalThe temperature soared to a tropical heat.

Other synonyms of ‘hot’ describe things that are quite hot, like these below:

lukewarmThe coffee was only lukewarm.
tepidShe put her mouth to the tap and drank the tepid water.
warmIt 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 hotThere’s nothing better than curling up with a bowl of piping hot soup.
scaldingI tried to sip the tea but it was scalding.
steamingShe 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:

fieryHe said it was ‘a fiery combination of chicken, chillies and rice’.
pepperyShe served it with peppery radishes.
piquantThe mustard gives a piquant edge to the dressing.
spicyHe 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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