SWELTERING Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

sweltering 1 of 2

adjective

ˈswel-t(ə-)riŋ

Definition of sweltering

as in boiling

having a notably high temperature the air conditioning was broken, and it was sweltering in the office

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sweltering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of swelter

as in scorching

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sweltering

Adjective

In August, Rome is deserted as locals ditch the sweltering city for the sea, but everyone returns in the fall, refreshed and energized for the season ahead. — Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2026 That’s a lot of sweltering days, considering that the annual average is only about 37 days reaching 95 degrees or hotter. — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026 This week, Miami hit 100 degrees for the first time since the 1800s, the latest in a slew of records broken this sweltering summer. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Others without roof access would sit and sometimes sleep on their firescapes to escape their sweltering hot boxes. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sweltering

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweltering

Adjective

More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.

— Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Definition of boiling

Verb

Persistent drought and scorching heat this summer have ravaged ecosystems and businesses across the region, from a lake in Slovenia and the side channel of the Danube in Serbia, to fish farms in Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
While cooler fall days may be on the horizon, many students returning to school are still dealing with scorching end-of-summer temperatures.

— Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of scorching

Adjective

The rolling mountain landscape becomes an undulating patchwork quilt of searing scarlets, terracottas, vermillions, and more.

— Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
Once the film was released, critics widely praised Page’s searing performance as the doomed Greek soldier Sinon, and even some of Page’s detractors online were won over by his work.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of searing

Verb

The bearded seal is just one of the many polar species whose future is closely tied to rising temperatures and melting ice.

— Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
What is clear is that Earth’s glaciers are melting faster as a result of warming and that melting is destabilizing these glaciers—and the mountains that buttress them.

— Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of melting

Adjective

Which way silverware should be placed in a dishwasher is the subject of hot debates.

— Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2026
When combined with a hot blanket of the humidity the city has endured throughout the summer, players could be forced to withdraw from their matches or push through, risking injury.

— Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of hot

Verb

And it’s been broiling along the coast, which typically offers a cooler respite from the heat.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Dozens of young people, including a twenty-one-year-old professional footballer, drowned while seeking relief in open water; three French children died in broiling cars.

— Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of broiling

Adjective

Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026

Definition of burning

Browse Nearby Words

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“Sweltering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweltering. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of sweltering

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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