more heat than light

noun

More passion or conflict than enlightenment or illumination on a subject.

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Meanings

nounmore heat than light (uncountable)
  1. uncountableMore passion or conflict than enlightenment or illumination on a subject.

    Since I instigated the Manhattan Review (STH) ad which ran in GCN, which is now generating so much heat but very little light, I feel I must make some points clear.

    1979 April 14, David M. Stryker, “A Contribution”, in Gay Community News, page 4
    1 more example

    So, in any overall account of the social sciences, disputes are liable to break out about what is, or is not, truly scientific research; and, too often, these disputes generate more heat than light.

    1996, Stephen Edelston Toulmin, Björn Gustavsen, Beyond Theory: Changing Organizations Through Participation, page 1
Cite this entry
APA

more heat than light. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/more%20heat%20than%20light

MLA

“more heat than light.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/more%20heat%20than%20light. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “more heat than light,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/more%20heat%20than%20light.

Source: more heat than light on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.