ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fiery

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfaɪɝi// UK //fˈaɪəɹi// fiery

adj. looking like fire or feeling very hot. It also describes a person who has very strong, angry, or excited feelings.

adj. consisting of, resembling, or having the heat of fire; figuratively describes a person or speech marked by intense emotion or a quick temper.


SIMPLE

The sky turned a fiery orange as the sun went down.

CONTEXTUAL

The coach gave a fiery speech at halftime to motivate the players after their poor performance.

COMPLEX

Her fiery temperament often led to heated debates during board meetings, yet her colleagues respected the undeniable passion she brought to every project.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English fyry, from fyr (“fire”), equivalent to fire + -y. Compare typologically Mongolian галт (galt) (< гал (gal)); Russian пла́менный (plámennyj) (akin to пла́мя (plámja)); Russian вспы́льчивый (vspýlʹčivyj), запа́льчивый (zapálʹčivyj).

Usage

Often used to describe colors (red, orange), flavors (spicy food), or human personality and temperament.

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