burning

[ bur-ning ]

adjective

1. aflame; on fire.
2. very hot; simmering:

   The water was burning.

3. very bright; glowing:

   She wore a burning red bathing suit.

4. caused by or as if by fire, a burn, or heat:

   He had a burning sensation in his throat.

5. intense; passionate:

   a burning desire.

6. urgent or crucial:

   a burning question.

noun

1. the state, process, sensation, or effect of being on fire, burned, burn, or subjected to intense heat.
2. the baking of ceramic products to develop hardness and other properties.
3. the heating or the calcining of certain ores and rocks as a preliminary stage in various industrial processes.

burning

/ ˈbɜːnɪŋ /

adjective

1. intense; passionate
2. urgent; crucial

   a burning problem

noun

1. a form of heat treatment used to harden and finish ceramic materials or to prepare certain ores for further treatment by calcination
2. overheating of an alloy during heat treatment in which local fusion or excessive oxide formation and penetration occur, weakening the alloy
3. the heat treatment of particular kinds of gemstones to change their colour

Derived Forms

• ˈburningly, adverb

Other Words From

• burning·ly adverb
• non·burning adjective noun
• un·burning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of burning¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brenning, Old English byrnende; burn ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

The state passed a few new laws in 2018 designed to facilitate more intentional burning.

From ProPublica

After settlers forcibly removed Indigenous people from the land, their cultural burning practices were eventually replaced by policies of full-on fire suppression.

From Popular-Science

Each year, the burning of fossil fuels emits about 100 times more carbon dioxide than volcanoes emit — too much too fast for oceans and weathering to neutralize it, which is why our climate is warming and our oceans are acidifying.

From Quanta Magazine

The burning keeps trees from growing — and also burns up old plants, returning their nutrients to the soil, too.

From Science News For Students

Most people know that the burning of fossil fuels spews a lot of this gas.

From Science News For Students

The correspondent does a stand-up next to a burning pile of heroin and gets a taste of its effect.

From The Daily Beast

On his Instagram account (which has since been taken down), Brinsley made one reference to burning an American flag.

From The Daily Beast

It reacts very readily with oxygen by burning smokelessly, with carbon dioxide and water as its byproducts.

From The Daily Beast

Tank Battle Kim's death -- a clean version of Kim's Face shot (no head burning or head exploding).

From The Daily Beast

I was tired, my eyes burning from the road and kind of disoriented.

From The Daily Beast

Its backbone should be the study of biology and its substance should be the threshing out of the burning questions of our day.

From Project Gutenberg

Immediately Messa went up the stairs, and safely reached a large room where two candles were burning on a buffet.

From Project Gutenberg

A lurid spot on each cheek showed burning red through the bronze of his skin.

From Project Gutenberg

From early morn to early morn again, the hot winds continued, and the air was surcharged with the smell of burning plants.

From Project Gutenberg

A burning controversy between the Averroists and the orthodox schoolmen.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fiery
• flaming
• gleaming
• glowing
• hot
• scorching
• searing