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heated moment

heated moment

1 4.9
A short time when people feel strong emotion and say or do things without thinking
  • noun
translation icon : momento acalorado
  • But even in those heated moments of blithering anger, there is certain behavior that should never be exhibited or condoned.

Examples

  • During that heated moment, he made a promise he was not sure he could keep.

  • "I had a lot of heated moments with Daniel," I interrupted.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And in the most heated moment, he defended U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice against criticism of things she said after the attack on the American in Benghazi, Libya.

    Blog text (6)
  • In a heated moment, I shouted at my best friend without thinking about the consequences.

  • The argument escalated quickly, and in a heated moment, she stormed out of the room.

Synonyms

outburst
vsheated moment
83 3.9

A sudden strong show of feeling like anger or laughter

often focuses on a short emotional period that triggers impulsive responses
burst
vsheated moment
57 3.5

A short, strong period of activity or feeling

emphasizes that it commonly causes impulsive speech or behaviour
in the heat of the moment
vsheated moment
  • Informal
7 6.1

When you feel strong feelings and act without thinking

is a shorter noun phrase with identical meaning and idiomatic origin
flare
vsheated moment
5 5.3

A sudden strong feeling such as anger or excitement

lasts briefly and often leads to quick, impulsive words or actions
state of excitement
vsheated moment
1 3.1

A strong feeling of joy and energy that makes you unable to sit still

is a short intense period rather than a continuing excited condition
flurry of emotions
vsheated moment
5.0

A sudden short time when many strong feelings happen at once

focuses more on variety of feelings, not on resulting impulsive acts

Antonyms

9 2.7

A state without strong feelings or worry in your mind

8 4.1

Staying calm and not getting upset in difficult or stressful situations

How Heated

heated moment
1 4.9
tenseness
1 4.9
quiet time
21 3.7

Surface Forms

heated moment singular

Morphology

heated + moment

The noun phrase is transparently built from 'heated' (emotionally intense) + 'moment' (a short interval), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a brief period of strong feeling or impulsive behavior. This is a regular adjective+noun composition and a cross-linguistically common way to express short intense episodes, making the meaning immediately accessible.

Etymology

Heated moment uses the image of heated as feeling hot or angry and moment as a very short time. So, it means a short time when someone feels 'strong emotion' and may 'say or do things without thinking'.