afire

A1F4I1R1E1
/əˈfaɪɚ/

adverb

On fire (often metaphorically).

UncommonScrabble 8

Meanings

adverbafire (comparative more afire, superlative most afire)

comparative more afire · superlative most afire

  1. On fire (often metaphorically).
    1 more example

    Zuleika blushed. “Yet,” she said more gently, “be sure they would all be not a little envious of YOU! Not one of them ever touched the surface of my heart. You stirred my heart to its very depths. Yes, you made me love you madly. The pearls told you no lie. You were my idol—the one thing in the wide world to me. You were so different from any man I had ever seen except in dreams. You did not make a fool of yourself. I admired you. I respected you. I was all afire with adoration of you. And now,” she passed her hand across her eyes, “now it is all over. The idol has come sliding down its pedestal to fawn and grovel with all the other infatuates in the dust about my feet.”

    1911 October 26, Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson, or, An Oxford Love Story, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: John Lane Company, published 1912, →OCLC
adjectiveafire (comparative more afire, superlative most afire)

comparative more afire · superlative most afire

  1. On fire (often metaphorically).

    Synonyms: ablaze, aflame

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveOn fire (often metaphorically).

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivelighted up by or as by fire or flame

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishafire
  2. Englishafire

13ᵗʰc., from Middle English afire, equivalent to a- (“on”) + fire. Figurative usage from late 14ᵗʰc.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian пламнал, запален
  • пламнал (plamnal)literally on fire
  • запален (zapalen)literally on fire
Czech v plamenech, hořící
  • v plamenechliterally on fire
  • hořícíliterally on fire
  • planoucíliterally on fire
  • planoucímetaphorically on fire
  • hořícímetaphorically on fire
Dutch in brand
  • in brandliterally on fire
Finnish tulessa, liekeissä
  • tulessaliterally on fire
  • liekeissäliterally on fire
  • tulessametaphorically on fire
French ardent, ardent
  • ardentliterally on fire
  • ardentmetaphorically on fire
German in Flammen, in Brand
  • in Flammenliterally on fire
  • in Brandliterally on fire
  • Feuer und Flamme seinmetaphorically on fire
  • begeistert seinmetaphorically on fire
Spanish ardiendo
  • ardiendoliterally on fire

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with afire

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

afire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afire

MLA

“afire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afire. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “afire,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afire.

Source: afire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.