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burning

burning

33 4.1
Very important and needing action now
  • adjective
  • /ˈbɜrnɪŋ/
: urgente
  • These two men addressed themselves to the burning issues of our times.

These two men addressed themselves to the burning issues of our times.

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Examples

  • Her speech addressed several burning questions about climate change and its consequences.

  • She talked very eloquently about fighting burning injustice.

  • We just have to have the burning desire to learn.

  • And you have the this overwhelming, burning need to do this thing.

  • I had a a burning desire to achieve greatness.

  • It has to come from a burning desire and unflinching demand.

  • The committee is currently discussing the burning issues that affect our society.

  • We need to prioritize the burning challenges in education reform to create lasting change.

Synonyms

on the front burner
vsburning
  • US
6 4.4

A matter that needs immediate attention and is very important

is a short adjective form rather than a multiword idiom

Antonyms

110 3.9

Not important or serious

102 4.1

Not important or too small to matter

Idioms

Make the home warm and caring while someone is away

1 9.0

You feel that people are talking about you when you are not there

1 9.5

Asking someone if people have just been talking about them

9.9

To have a wild, loud party with dancing and music

A sudden sense that people are talking about you, often when your name is said

Compounds

19 9.9

A way of killing someone by tying them to a post and setting them on fire as punishment

burning question
  • Informal
13 3.5

An urgent question that needs a quick answer

burning bush
  • Literature
7 8.0

A bush on fire that God used to speak to Moses in the Bible

7 3.5

Using wood to make heat for a room or for cooking

5 3.2

Making electricity or heat by using coal as fuel

4 3.9

Using coal for heat or electricity

clean-burning
  • Specialized
4 5.3

Produces little smoke or ash when burned

burning bush
  • Specialized
4 9.1

A plant with white flowers that gives off a gas that can burn in hot weather

book burning
  • Offensive
2 7.2

Destroying books on purpose to stop political or religious ideas

1 9.9

A period in Europe when many people accused of being witches are killed, often by burning at the stake

free burning
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A fire that keeps going in open air, often like an electric arc

1 6.8

A shrub with bright red or purple leaves used for decoration

A stick or cone that burns slowly and makes a pleasant smell

A log that gives steady heat for hours in a fire

A strong feeling of love or interest that grows slowly

A stove that controls the air so the fuel gives heat for many hours

How Urgent

vital
405 3.5
critical
800 4.0
burning
33 4.1
urgent
309 2.9
pressing
95 4.1
important
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

burning positive

Morphology

burning = burn (semi-transparent) = burn + ing

Formed by the regular '-ing' suffix from 'burn', but the adjectival sense 'urgent' is metaphorical rather than strictly literal.

Etymology

The adjective burning comes from the verb burn, meaning 'to set on fire', and we call a question or problem 'burning' because it is like a fire that needs quick attention.