Meanings
- not comparableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see scalding, hot: very hot in a way that can scald, involving fluids (e.g., water, steam, gases).
Near-synonyms: steaming hot, steaming, boiling hot, piping hot; see also Thesaurus:hot
Synonyms: scalding, steaming hot, steaming, boiling hot, piping hot, hot, calid, choleric · Antonyms: freezing cold, freezing, ice-cold, icy, stone cold, algid, Arctic, Baltic
- broadlyidiomaticnot comparableExtremely hot.
Synonyms: scalding, steaming hot, steaming, boiling hot, piping hot, baking hot, smoking hot, hot · Antonyms: freezing cold, freezing, ice-cold, icy, stone cold, algid, Arctic, Baltic
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see scalding, hot: very hot in a way that can scald, involving fluids (e.g., water, steam, gases).
adjectiveExtremely hot.
Origin
- Middle Englishscladeng hoot
- Englishscalding hot
From Middle English scladeng hoot; equivalent to scalding + hot.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Swedish skållhet, brännhet
- skållhetvery hot
- brännhetvery hot
- stekhetvery hot
Cite this entry
scalding hot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scalding%20hot
“scalding hot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scalding%20hot. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scalding hot,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scalding%20hot.
Source: scalding hot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.